Doors of Perception
by LauraLaurent
Summary: Vincent is a moody rockstar. Tifa is a tormented high school student. What will happen as fate throws them together, and they are forced to face their fears? Chapter 12, A rival appears? I finally updated!
1. The Big Picture

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Final Fantasy VII, Okay? Stop asking!_

This story is a result of my total lapse of inspiration for my other one, By These Hands. I am completely in love with almost every rock star, and everyone has to admit Vincent is totally perfect for that role. I mean just think of how sexy rockers are... Jim Morrison, William Beckett, Conor Oberst (not quite a rocker, but still). Something about them is just amazing... Well, hope everyone enjoys this story!

Read on!

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Interviewer: Now, let me now if I'm getting to personal, but there seem to be a pretty dark past back there somewhere...what was it like for you growing up?

Conor: Dark? Not really... uh... actually I had a great childhood, my parents were wonderful, I went to a catholic school.  
They have... they had money so... it... It was all... easy... basically I had everything I wanted... handed to me...

Interviewer: Really? So some of the references like babies in bathtubs, are not biographical?

Conor: Well I do have a brother who died in a bathtub, drowned... actually I had five brothers who died that way...

Interviewer: Hah!

Conor: No, I'm serious... My mother drowned one every year for... five consecutive years...  
they were all named "Padriac", so, that's…they all got one song...

Interviewer: Hmm...

Conor: It's kinda like... Walking out the door, to discover it's a window...

_Radio conversation between Conor Oberst and an interviewer at the end of the Bright Eyes song, An Attempt to Tip the Scales_

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"Miss Lockheart? Miss Lockheart? TIFA LOCKHEART, wake yourself THIS INSTANT!"

Tifa's eyes shot open, much to the merriment of her classmates.

Bewildered, she sleepily gazed around the room trying to figure out where she was. Tifa glanced up and was greeted with the red face of her homeroom teacher, Ms. Wormwood.She groaned aloud.

'I must have fallen asleep again,' she slowly realized, 'This is the third time this week!'

Ms. Wormwood's face deepened to an even darker hue when the girl groaned and she growled threateningly, spit flying everywhere, " So!… SO! My class is so boring you fall asleep nearly everyday, huh?"

She was on a roll, becoming exponentially angrier and angrier as the tirade continued, "And then after you've had your nice little NAP, you GROAN when I wake you up! Never in my teaching years have I encountered such an impertinent pupil, well let me tell you something! Yes, plan on detentions everyday after school for a VERY LONG TIME!"

Tifa could feel her heart flip flop in her chest, "But Ms. Wormwood, I have work! I can't miss that many days, or I'll get fired!"

The disgruntled teacher let out a satisfied grin at the teen's crestfallen face.

"That will teach you to take naps in as important a class as Algebra! Why, you're lucky that you're only getting detention, since I could have failed you just as easily."

Tifa muttered her thanks and slumped broodingly in her chair. Ms. Wormwood hadn't even said when the detention would end, which meant she was going to force Tifa to go as long as she felt like it.

She brushed her long, brown hair from her wine-colored eyes, and valiantly attempted to pay attention. Math was never her strong suit, and it took all the girl's willpower to keep her eyes open against the onslaught of apathy that was a direct result of algebraic equations.

A few giggles were still on her classmates' lips, and Tifa could hear a girl across the room whisper loudly, "Ohmygod, that girl is such a freaking weirdo!"

The brunette sank even lower in her chair, if that was possible, and hung her head. Without looking she knew who was insulting her. It was Scarlet Shinra.

Scarlet's lustrous blond hair, charismatic smile, and dynamite body sufficed to make her one of the most popular girls in school, yet there was something else that contributed to her popularity.

Yes, it's always a bonus to have your father be the richest man in town.

He owned Shinra Records, the most prominent record company in the music business. A record company that had alsosigned on Death Penalty, a band that was all the rage with the youth of Midgar.

Yet, despite her obvious beauty and appeal, Scarlet was one of the most cruel people Tifa had ever met. The blond never missed an opportunity to torture the girl, and took intense pleasure in turning all the students of Midgar High against her. Tifa had no idea why the queen of their senior class hated her so much, but deduced that it must be because she really was a weirdo.

Ever since the summer of freshmen year, Tifa had hardly spoken to anyone at school. Before that she had been another social butterfly, everyone knowing her name, but after that fateful day she withdrew herself from her friends. At first they were angry, confused, but after awhile forgot about her and turned to Scarlet as their new idol. Now, at eighteen years old, she was considered a loner and only had a few friends.

In fact, at that very moment her best friend, Yuffie, smiled reassuringly and flipped off Ms. Wormwood in an attempt to lighten Tifa's mood. Sophomore year, when Scarlet's taunting began, Yuffie was the only one brave enough to be friendly with Tifa. As a result she too became a social outcast, but the hyper teen wasn't fazed in the slightest by the other girl's cruelty. She was unwaveringly loyal as a friend, and the only person in the world who knew what happened to Tifa that summer.

After what seemed like hours, the dismissal bell rang. Happily bouncing out of her seat, Yuffie skipped over to Tifa and gave her a wide smile.

"Tifa that was hilarious! She is such an old hag, I swear! You know my dad's a lawyer, so I could totally have him investigate this cause there's no way that spinster could give you that many detentions for just falling asleep!"

Tifa smiled weakly at her excited friend and said, "Don't bother, it's okay."

"Whaddaya mean it's okay? You're just gonna take that from her?"

"Whatever, if I fight it I'll just draw more attention to myself, I'd rather not make a big deal out of this."

They exited the classroom and Yuffie shook her head disbelievingly.

"Sometimes I just don't understand you, girl. Now how are we gonna rise up to fight the man if you have a wimpy attitude like that? Huh?"

Tifa laughed and said, "Yuffie, your dad practically IS the man, and besides I couldn't care less about the corporate machine you're always talking about. All I care about is music and art."

Yuffie snapped her head around and yelled loudly, causing the students in the hall to stare at them warily.

"That's the point! The corporate machine is sooo trying to take over music! You'll see! Yeah, you'll see! One day your music will be all crappy and poppy and you'll be saying, ' Oh why, why didn't I listen to that beautiful, intelligent Yuffie! If only I had listened to her!'"

Tifa burst into a rare bout of laughter at this. Yuffie was one of the few people who could always cheer her up.

"Don't laugh! You already can see it happening! I mean, what is the bitch Scarlet's dad going to do to our beloved Vincent's band?"

Tifa didn't answer. The thought had already crossed mind a few times, and she definitely didn't like it. Vincent Valentine was the main singer of Death Penalty, and in the two girls opinion, the hottest guy in the world. Not that they were the only girls who felt that way. Practically all the females in Midgar were obsessed with him. Tifa nearly died every time she saw videos of him onstage, red eyes glowing and his long, raven hair and hips swaying passionately to the music.

He also was said to be the whole creative voice behind Death Penalty. The band's music was incredibly unique, and nothing was more alluring then the beautifully composed lyrics coupled by Vincent's soulful voice.

"Yuffie… if Shinra Records tries to change Death Penalty I don't know what I'd do…" The brunette sighed.

Yuffie glanced sideways at Tifa, and hastily changed the subject, "Whatever, when we go to the concert tonight we can change their minds, when the whole band totally falls in love with us!"

Tifa giggled and realized they had reached her car. Saying her goodbyes to Yuffie, she got inside while promising to meet at her house 8 o'clock sharp.

Yuffie stood, her arms wrapped around her lithe frame, and watched Tifa as she pulled away in her old, beat up car. She rubbed her shortly cropped hair and said to herself, " Now there's one messed up girl."

* * *

No Vincent yet... awww... don't worry I'm already half finished with the second chapter, so the update will be real soon. I almost made Aeris the main character in this story, but... I dunno... I just think Tifa is a sadder character than Aeris, and more likely to be in the music scene. Read and review! Critque would be nice! 

P.S. Isn't that converstaion in the beginning amazing? I LOVE conor Oberst!


	2. Lover I Don't Have to Love

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vincent or Tifa or Reno or Yuffie, and there's no way in hell I'd want to own Palmer_

Yes! Second chappy! I was so pissed off cause it was finished yesterday, but the document uploader thing wasn't working. Finally, we get a little Vincent action!

P.S. The song Vincent sings is Lover I Don't Have to Love by Bright Eyes so yeah...I only wish I could write like that

P.P.S. Now it's edited a little better thanks to a few mistakes pointed out by Macabre Puppet, and a couple more I noticed. I hope it reads a little better now!

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_She took a small silver wreathe and pinned it onto me  
She said this one will bring you love  
I don't know if it's true but I keep it for good luck..._

_Nowhere and It's Now, by Bright Eyes...again.. I mean come one, it's my user name!_

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Tifa pulled into the complex parking lot, and entered her building, humming a little tune. The apartment she lived in was a pathetic structure. Leaning ever so slightly to the right, it was a wonder that it hadn't been condemned or turned into a national monument. The girl ascended the stairs, the walls around her peeling with paint and covered in graffiti. As she neared her room, she could hear her neighbors arguing again.

"Goddamn it Tim! If you keep on FUCKING shooting up our shit, then how are we gonna make any money? A good dealer stays clean, you fucking asshole!"

Nonchalantly, Tifa continued toward her room with little more than a blink. She was used to hearing conversations like that between her neighbors.

Finally she arrived at room number 507 then unlocked the door and threw it open.

It was sparse, including a single bed, dresser, and desk in the main room; which broke off into a small bathroom/kitchen area. The kitchen consisted of a small stove and microwave, and there was a tiny sink used for both facilities. There wasn't even a shower, so she had to walk down the hall every morning and wait her turn to get clean.

Posters of Tifa's favorite bands, quite a few depicting Death Penalty, covered the walls, and lining the floor were various drawings and sketches. The artwork swirled and spiraled, and ink flowed across the paper conveying an overall sense of pain--of loss.

Tifa was only sixteen, having skipped a few grades back in middle school. Technically still a minor, at the age of fifteen she dragged her parents to court and won her emancipation. If Tifa did moderately well in class, kept a steady job, and steered clear of trouble she was allowed to live on her own, supported by funds taken from her parents every month. Winning her emancipation had been a long, hard battle and Tifa thought it was hilarious that the court system was so afraid of a minor living on their own,yet had failed to notice she was working in a bar.

Stretching languidly, Tifa sauntered over to her closet, swung the door open, and scrutinized the contents. Fingering the garments, she browsed through the hangers until she found what she was looking for. A tight white shirt with a wild design, including doves and vines on the front (think Urban Outfitter style), tight black jeans, and a white stud belt.

'The perfect outfit for a concert!'

She thought happily, shedding off her clothes and donning the new apparel. Turning, she stood in front of a full length mirror and critically examined her reflection.

'God I hate my boobs' she thought grimacing at how they bulged against the thin fabric of her blouse, as if bursting to escape. She hated it how her impressive cleavage was all that a guy could look at when they talked to her, and the unwanted attention she received as a result. Even the thought sent a chill down Tifa's spine. If there was one thing in the world she did not want, it was attention from lewd, perverted guys.

Brushing the sickening thoughts from her mind, she pulled her waist length hair into a loose ponytail and picked up her purse. Glancing once more in the mirror she left to go meet Yuffie.

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Palmer nervously mopped the sweat from his brow.

"Why do they always make ME talk to him about this stuff?"

He mused unhappily, waddling toward his destination. Sadly, there is no other way to describe the way Palmer moves. His enormous bulk does not allow smooth strides or dainty steps; he waddles.

Palmer stopped, straightened his yellow and red polka dot tie, then warily approached the figure ahead of him.

The youth's head was tilted forward-- long,dark hair curtaining his face. Hisslim legs were crossed in front of him and clad in dark leather pants, which greatly contrasting the pale, white arms that rested against them. A delicate hand lifted gracefully from his thigh as he turned the page of the book he was reading.

Palmer stood there a few moments, not sure what to do, and was just about to speak when man's head shot up. Palmer was like a deer in headlights, immobilized by the sight of those deep red eyes. After a couple tense seconds, the man said in a low, gravely voice,

" Palmer, is there some reason for this disturbance or did you just come to admire my good looks?"

Startled, Palmer wiped his forehead again and said hastily, " Oh right, sorry, so sorry Mr. Valentine! It's just that, well, the shows about to start and you weren't with the rest of the band, and well... the fans are started to get fidgety..."

Vincent blinked. "Oh right."

Carefully he took a bright pink bookmark, and slid it between the pages of the novel. Palmer could just glimpse the title, "A Tale of Two Cities", before Vincent set it on the table and stood up.

Not even acknowledging the rotund man, he glided past, with long, graceful strides.

Palmer struggled to match his pace and said, "Oh...pant... gasp... there's another...gasp...reason I came too...heave..."

Vincent shot him a contemptuous look, "What?"

"I spoke with President Shinra.. gasp... and he said...huhn... he wants you...to accompany him to a the Black and White Ball being held...gasp... by... Corneo... He said something about a good chance for more exposure..."

"What about the rest of the band?"

Palmer stiffened. President Shinra had made his plans for the rest of the band very clear. But better not to upset this volatile man just yet.

"I'm sure we can arrange for them…huff… to come. Though...heave... being the leader of the band you're the main attraction."

Vincent stretched his arms and folded his hands on the back of his head. This act lifted his shirt up ever so slightly, revealing the ragged edges of a scar on his waist.

"The main attraction."

"Of course, so you'll do it?"

"No"

And with that blasé response, Vincent rounded the corner and stepped on stage to the delight of thousands of screaming fans.

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"Yuffie!" Tifa squealed happily, "Look! Look he's coming!"

Yuffie bit back a laugh. Tifa never got this excited. Only someone she admired as much as Vincent could cause Tifa to act like she was just another wide-eyed teen.

Tifa couldn't believe it. There he was! Vincent was onstage in front of her! Her idol, the man who created the most beautiful music she had ever heard was right there!

Currently he was adjusting his microphone, and practically every time he moved the girls in the audience screeched.

She could hear them whispering to friends, "Ohmygod, he totally just looked at me!" and someone yelled aloud,

"Vincent! Impregnate me!"

Vincent's full lips twitched at the yell, but he didn't smile. He turned to the redhead with long scars running down his cheeks, who was tuning his guitar and nodded. The redhead let out a rakish grin, and Yuffie melted.

"Wow Reno is freaking hot!"

She cried in a bubbly voice. Tifa shushed her, since the singer was leaning into the microphone as if he was about to speak.

The whole concert hall fell quiet.

"So" he said in a bored voice, "We're the Death Penalty"

Everyone in the audience went crazy at these few words, but the raven haired man held up a hand to quiet them.

"My hope is that, here... tonight.. all of us young people can forget everything besides the music. We are a generation of dreamers… of rebels… and of cowards. We have to live every moment as if it's our last, because god fucking knows we aren't going to understand anything when we grow up. We'll fight and we'll lose.So, let's hold up our fists to that flame in the sky'cause we all know it would blind us."

He grasped the microphone tightly, and said in a husky voice, "This song's called, A Lover I Don't Have to Love."

The band began, creepy instrumentals and a pulsing beat flowing throughout the room. Yuffie was grooving next to her, but Tifa never removed her eyes from Vincent's brilliant red one's. He began to sing, leaning close to the microphone while his narrow hips swayed in time with the music. Vincent's voice was so passionate it almost brought tears to Tifa's eyes.

_I picked you out of a crowd and talked to you_

_I said, 'I like your shoes.' You said, 'Thanks. Can I follow you?'_

_So it's up the stairs and out of view, no prying eyes._

_I poured some wine. I asked your name you asked the time._

_It is two o'clock, the club is closed we are up the block._

_Your hands on me. I am pressing hard against your jeans._

_Your tongue's in my mouth...tryin' to keep the words from comin' out._

_You didn't care to know who else may have been you before..._

_I want a lover I don't have to love._

_I want a girl who's too sad to give a fuck._

_Where's the kid with the chemicals?_

_I thought he said to meet here but I'm not sure._

_I got the money if you got the time,_

_you said "It feels good."_

_I said, "I'll give it a try..."_

_Then my mind went dark._

_We both forgot where your car was parked,_

_let's just take the train._

_I'll meet up with the band in the morning._

Vincent was shaking with emotion, as he groaned the lyrics.

_Bad actors with bad habits._

_Some sad singers they just play tragic._

_Well, the phone's ringing and the van's leaving._

_Let's just keep touching, let's just keep...singing._

_I want a lover I don't have to love._

_I want a boy who's so drunk he doesn't talk._

_Where's the kid with the chemicals?_

_I got this hunger and I can't seem to get full._

_I need some meaning I can memorize,_

_The kind I have always seems to slip my mind._

The music reached a crescendo, as he spat out the words. For a split second, Vincent's eyes caught her's. They glowed eerily in the fluorescent light. For a few precious moments everything was still, and it was just Tifa and Vincent, with their gazes locked. He grinned sadly, and the tenor of his voice changed as he sang the next lines soft and sweetly.

_But you write such pretty words._

_But life's no storybook._

_Love's an excuse to get hurt..._

_And to hurt._

_Do you like to hurt?_

_I do! I do!_

_Then hurt me._

The audience roared. Vincent violently swung the microphone back and forth, screaming over and over again, echoed by his fellow band mates.

_Then hurt me..._

_Then hurt me..._

_Then hurt me!_

The song ended, and Vincent stood straight, coolly regarding the audience. The change was so sudden that if it wasn't for his long hair and wild attire, the singer would have the appearance of a cold-hearted business man instead of a rock star.

Tifa stared at him, her heart beating painfully in her chest. That song…

It was so full of pain, of bitterness. Vincent brushed a stray strand of hair from his face and Tifa wondered,

'What happened to make him so angry with the world?'

* * *

Awww... Next chappy they totally meet, no more nonsense of setting the scene. Wow this one's long, but only cause the song takes up so much freaking room. But... I couldn't resist. Well... Tell me what you think! All opinions welcome! 

P.S. Also the line Vincent uses about how, " the sun would blind us" is from the Bright Eyes song, A song to Pass the time. I know... no creativity whatsoever...:(


	3. The Movement of a Hand

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or anything to do with Bright Eyes. But I do own my love for Conor!_

Yay! New Chapy! I'm loving the response I'm getting for this fic. Lately this is the only one I write, so now "By These Hands" is a poor little abandoned baby. FINALLY they meet, I am so excited. Also, I am going to a concert tonight, and am beyond pumped, believe you me.

P.S. Next time I will respond to and thank individual reviewers

Well... Read on!

_

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_

_You were born inside of a raindrop,  
I watched you falling to your death  
And the sun, well she could not save you  
She'd fallen down too, now the streets are wet._

_Train Under Water; Bright Eyes_

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"Yuffie? Yuffie?"

A sea of people, swarmed around Tifa. She wildly gazed searchingly about the room, but to no avail. She'd lost Yuffie in the crowd.

Tifa could feel her heart constrict in her chest, and resisted the urge to panic. Biting her lip, she anxiously rubbed her left bicep with her right hand; a nervous habit.

The concertgoers faces appeared dark and wicked, as they laughed, teeth bared, and exited the room while knocking Tifa every which way.

' Deep breaths, deep breaths'

She thought unsteadily, as she swam through the crowd in a desperate attempt to find Yuffie. The concert room was a large, domed structure made up of cold steel beams spiraling upward to the tip. Before they had been signed to Shinra Records, Death Penalty had adamantly refused to play venues like this, preferring the intimacy of bars and clubs, but now huge buildings like this were the only one's big enough to fit Death Penalty's growing fan base.

Tifa pushed towards the stage, reasoning that if she was able to escape the mass of people heading for the door, she would be able to search for Yuffie more thoroughly. On the left of the stage was the door leading to backstage and looming before it was a huge man who practically took up the whole doorway. Tifa couldn't get over the rectangular shape of the man, even his head was flat on top and a perfect square.

Finally she broke through the crowd, and stumbled into the man. He lifted her easily and roughly dumped her in front of him.

" Now the hell you think you're doin', girly? The concerts over goddammit! Git before the perverts come out an' try an' do somethin' you won't be appreciatin'!"

Tifa just stared at him so he grabbed her arm, gruffly saying, " Are you fuckin' deaf, or what?"

Instinctively, she counter grabbed his wrist and snapped it backwards.

" Shit!" he cried, snatching his tree trunk of an arm away and cradling it against his chest, " Now whad you go an' do that for?"

But is words only met air. Angrily he turned towards the door, and seeing it was still shut, leaned back against it.

" An' she seemed such a sweet thing." he growled.

Tifa darted down the long halls of doors that stretched beyond the stage. Luckily, whilst the guard was distracted, Tifa was able to sprint past him unnoticed and was currently "backstage". Tifa was completely irrational now, and had no idea where she was going. When that man had grabbed her, she couldn't control her panic and nowthat themoment had passed she was starting to think running backstage was a very bad idea.

Tifa slowed her pace and pondered her predicament. At the end of the hall she was in was a large pair of double doors, and she could hear raucous laughter behind them. Not wanting to be caught without a pass, she turned around only to be greeted with the site of the guard from earlier heading straight towards her.

"Eep!" She squeaked (I know, very untough) and made a 180 only to be confronted with the laughing doors again. It didn't look like he had seen her yet, but he was swiftly approaching and Tifa had no where to run. Desperately, she attempted to open the doors around her, but all of them were locked. Finally one of them creaked open, and she flung herself inside.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tifa quietly shut the door then turned to survey her sanctuary. Tifa's eyes widened to the size of grapefruit at the sight before her. It was Vincent. Looking pissed and sexy with no shirt on.

Tifa almost laughed at her luck, rubbed her arm vigorously, and thought, 'Should have taken my chances with the guard."

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Vincent stood, shirt in hand, and glared menacingly at the intruder. She looked about 16 or 17, give or take, so by deductive reasoning was one of the pyscho fan girls which were a bane to Vincent's existence. Not that he didn't appreciate his fans, he just hated it when they hounded him down and treated him like an object, rather than a human being.

This particular girl looked as if she would hyperventilate any second, and was rubbing her arm as if she was suffering from some allergic reaction. Vincent slowly looked her body up and down, making the girl shift her weight uneasily, and took in her appearance. Long, brown hair, average height, and a slim figure coupled with a knockout chest. He couldn't see her eyes since she had averted her gaze to the floor, but surmised she looked just like any other fan girl.

He was smoldering with rage and disgust. This girl had made a huge mistake barging in on him, in an attempt to get a little nookie, on one of his bad days. One of his worst days in fact.

He strode towards the girl, and growled in a low, even voice, "So you enjoying the free show?"

He was now close enough to give her an Eskimo kiss, and violently thrust his arms against the wall on either side of her head. Shetrembled, and Vincent sneered wolfishly, his teeth sparkling. He took his right arm from the wall, and grabbed the girl under the chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

Vincent was surprised by their appearance, and Vincent wasn't one to be easily shocked. They were open wide, and sparkled in the fluorescent light. The irises were a burgundy hue, strangely similar to his own, and they looked ancient. Not in the sense of an old woman, but as if they had seen things beyond the girl's years.

Things that a 16 year old should never see.

Most of all Vincent noticed that her eyes were consumed with irrational terror, and looked dangerously close to rolling back into her head in a dead faint.

"Shit." Vincent said aloud. Crazed fan or not, this girl was incredibly freaked out. His ill-conceived anger deflated and Vincent backed up a few paces and folded his arms across his chest. The girl was taking shallow panicky breaths, and rubbing her arm so hard it looked about ready to fall off.

"Um…" he said uncertainly, not sure what to say considering the situation, " I…well…." He rubbed the back of his head, mussing his long hair.

Vincent wasn't very good with words. In a week he usually uttered around ten full sentences, if even that, unless in the presence of friends or in a situation where talking was an obligation.

Vincent just couldn't express himself by talking to someone, give him a guitar and pad of paper and day and that would be more satisfying than a thousand puerile conversations.

The girl seemed to be calming down, and was eyeing him with a very confused look on her face.

"Yes… I think…Sit down and…"

He trailed off, and gestured to the decrepit couch by the wall. The girl, still eyeing him warily, sat down.

Vincent rubbed his stomach (remember no shirt!) andbit his full lips.

" You… how'd you get here?"

The girl smiled, happy to fill the stilted silence in the air, and quickly explained her situation. Vincent stood through the speech, and decided that she wasn't lying.

"That must have been Barret you met at the door." He said thoughtfully, " You have no need to be scared of him, he's a big pushover once you get past his rough and tough exterior. He was probably worried something would happen to you."

She looked relieved at this, and Vincent found himself admiring the way her bangs attractively framed her beautifully structured face. Pushing such thoughts aside he cleared his throat and said,

"I'm… I'm sorry for jumping on you like that…I was just looking for someone to vent on."

She grinned, and said, "No biggie, I'm the loser who freaked out like that! I just can't help it, it's like a reflex."

"Have you always been that way?"

Her right hand was hovering over her left arm, as she said quietly, "No I haven't always been that way."

She didn't elaborate, and Vincent wasn't one to push another to talk so dropped the subject.

"Want me to help you find your friend?" He said, shocked that he had made the proposition even as it came out of his mouth.

"Sure, I…"

_Ring, Ring!_

The girl fumbled with her purse and extracted a very outdated cell phone. As she conversed, Vincent rubbed the scar on his stomach and glanced about disinterestedly. Something about this girl was… different. Vincent felt compelled to help her even though they barely knew each other, while usually he didn't give a shit.

"Vincent?"

She sang, interrupting his reverie, "Yes?'

"That was Yuffie, she's gonna meet me at the front of the concert hall."

"Why didn't you call her earlier?"

She flushed and said in an embarrassed voice, " I was so freaked, I didn't even think of it."

At this, Vincent let out a burst of laughter. For a few moments his rich, melodic laugh filled the room until he was able to regain his composure.

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine._

Tifa smirked.

"I thought Vincent Valentine never laughed or smiled."

Vincent's palm covered his lips, in an attempt to conceal his merriment and chortled,

"What sort of cold bastard would I be if I never cracked a smile? Even morose guys like me get a kick out of life once in a while."

_You make me happy, when skies are gray_

Tifa giggled, then looked at her watch and stood up saying, " I have to go meet Yuffie now."

She turned to leave and for some reason Vincent had the irresistible urge to grab her arm, to keep her with him for at least a little longer.

_Baby don't go away, come here…_

As if feeling just as reluctant, she turned back around and said, " By the way, where'd you get that scar?"

Vincent looked down at his chest. The scar was ragged and harsh, stretching from his left hip up to the right side of his collarbone.

Fury filled Vincent's face, and he viscously spat, "That is none of you business!"

The girl's garnet eyes filled with hurt, and she turned and fled out the door.

_I dreamed you were carried away, on the crest of a wave_

Vincent hung his head, shoulders sagging as the door slammed shut.

He shouldn't have gotten so angry, she didn't know the circumstances.

He hadn't even asked her name…

He collapsed on the couch and stared in to space, wondering aloud, "Why do I feel I've missed out on something real?"

_Please don't take my sunshine away…_

* * *

Whew, all done. I don't know why I made the end like that, but those little italicized phrases all belong to Conor Oberst (he even added the sunshine thing into one of his songs). I was in a weird mood when I wrote this, and don't ask why I said he was close enough to give her an eskimo kiss cause I have NO idea where that came from! 

Also, Tifa may seem sort of OOC now, since she kinda acts like a wimp, but she kicks some major ass later on, so don't you worry!

I love you all, please read and review!


	4. Old Soul Song

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or it's characters or Conor Oberst or Jim Morrison or Clandestine Industries...man that's depressing_

Hooray a new chapter! This one's rather long, and even though I like it I still feel rather iffy. I hate bulding up the stupid plot, all I want to do is jump right to the juciest parts of the story!

Well, anyways, I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get mor reviews on my last update... After I updated like a million people did and my fic got bumped off the front page super fast... Oh well, just promise to review this one!

Also, I went to the Hellogoodbye, Acceptance, Panic! At the Disco, and The Academy Is... concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco and let me say... The Academy Is.. and Hellogoodbye rocked the FREAKIN HOUSE!

...anyways... Read on!

P.S. I edited this a bit, feel free to point out anymore mistakes!

* * *

We left before the dust had time to settle.  
Now all the broken glass swept off the avenue,  
and on the way home held your camera like a bible.  
Just wishing so bad that it held some kind of truth.  
And I stood nervous next to you in the dark room,  
you dropped the paper in the water  
and it all begins to bloom. 

Yeah, they go wild.

_Bright Eyes; An Old Soul Song (For The New World Order)_

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"Tifa Lockheart! What, may I ask, do you THINK you are DOING?"

Tifa froze, half-step, and cringingly turned towards the shrill voice's owner. Ms. Wormwood's face looked like a ripe tomato, and a vein was twitching beneath her receding hairline.

Smiling innocently, Tifa gazed at her teacher with big puppy dog eyes, whilst twirling her foot in little circles, "But Ms. Wormwood," she said sweetly, " I thought it was time for me to go…"she tailed off hopefully.

" No, I'm not done with you yet! You still have a half hour to go! I can't believe you tried to ESCAPE as soon as I went to the bathroom!"

Still smiling awkwardly, a flurry of words tumbled out of the brunette's mouth, " But Ms. Wormwood! I, I, you know work and if I don't go then I'll be sent back to my parents and not be able to pay bills, and I really need this job, and you've kept me an hour longer than you said you would, and I'm gonna be late!"

The old woman smirked and in superior tone trilled, "Well you shouldn't have slept in class."

Tifa feigned a look of shame, and cried, " Oh Ms. Wormwood I'm so sorry! I was just so tired from studying for your class, and I feel so bad about it, you are such an amazing teacher!"

Ms. Wormwood just stared, and Tifa knew she should probably stop but her mouth had other ideas. " You know, I've always been jealous of how you are able to tease your hair so it is so high off your head! Also, I wish I had your fashion sense, those spandex make your thighs look so thin, I swear!"

Her false praises growing more and more outrageous by the second, Tifa clasped her hand over the mouth and thought, 'I am such an idiot, she is not going to buy any of this!"

Mrs. Wormwood's eyes looked to be on the edge of tears, and her face had turned an even deeper shade of red. Tifa backed up, fearing for her life, only to be engulfed in Mrs. Wormwood's perfume-soaked embrace.

Tifa turned her head towards the other woman, sheer horror etched across her features. The woman's large, rather bumpy nose was dripping on Tifa's shoulder, as she sniffed loudly.

" Oh you sweet, darling child!" Mrs. Wormwood cried, in between loud, somewhat disgusting sobs, " I never knew you felt so highly of meeeeee!"

She was overcome with emotion at the last word, and it came out as a shrill whine. Tifa patted the old woman's shoulder uneasily, while trying her best to extract herself from the vice-like grip of her teacher's arms saying, " Oh… yes….um… I've always felt that way?…ummm……can I go now?"

Mrs. Wormwood pushed herself back blowing her nose with a large handkerchief saying, " Of course sweetie, I know how much this job means to you."

Holding back the urge to laugh, Tifa thanked the hysterical woman profusely and hightailed her way out of there.

"What a weirdo!" She said, and picked up the speed since she was already fifteen minutes late for work.

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A beat up car clunked its way into parking space, narrowly missing the vehicles next to it. A girl with long dark hair stepped out of the vehicle and she sprinted inside the building, which had a sign hanging by one hinge over it that read, "The Highwind Bar." The building was very old-fashioned, since it was built before the Mako Revolution (think of it as the Industrial Revolution), and it was one of the few structures in Midgar that was composed of wood.

The bar was situated on a prime bit of land, yet no matter how often the owner of "The Highwind" was threatened and bribed by the "man", namely the president of Shinra Records, he refused to sell it. His family had kept the bar for generations, and when the owner had his mind set on something he never backed down.

Lately, Tifa had begun to fear for the man's safety since there had been too many 'accidents', that suspiciously stunk of Shinra's handiwork. Yet, she knew that the bar was relatively safe since it was one of the most popular hangouts in town, so Shinra wouldn't dare any open attempts at sabotage.

Tifa entered the bar and grinned sheepishly at her boss, thinking, 'Great, I'm gonna be yelled at again'

The man had short, bright yellow hair and squinting blue eyes. His face had a very Clint Eastwoodish look too it, and he was currently giving her that patented tight-lipped scowl. "So.." he took a long drag of his cigarette, baring his teeth, " Fucking late again, eh Lockheart?"

"About that Cid.." Tifa began, only to be cut off by Cid Highwind. Cid adjusted the goggles on his forehead and ran his thumbs along the edge of his worn, denim jacket growling, " Just don't do it again. Now, get behind the fucking bar and whip up some fucking tea for me!"

Tifa felt a warm burst of affection for the middle-aged man, and kissed him on the cheek before leaping behind the counter. He rubbed his cheek, mumbling something about tardiness and "trying to butter me up with kisses, goddammit!" but Tifa could tell that he was pleased.

Cid had been the only one to accept Tifa's application, and though at first she had been deathly afraid of his rough demeanor and casual insults, she had discovered him to be a goodhearted man and considered him to be the father she never had.

Despite Cid's constant complaints that she was "a goddamn pain in the neck" and "was gonna give him an ulcer" he was extremely protective of Tifa, and constantly looking out for her.

"You're lucky that the rush isn't here yet," he said grumpily, seating himself on one of the creaking bar stools, " Or your ass would be on the curb right now."

"Yeah right," Tifa said, smugly setting a tea cup in front of Cid, " Then who would you have to make tea just the way you like it?"

Cid squinted in response, and snatched the cup, downing it all in one gulp. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, in a very manly fashion, Cid said, "Now how are you're whatchamacallits? Your picture and photo thingies?"

Tifa laughed and said, "Not so good, I've been practicing taking photos since that concert a month ago, but without a better camera and some sort of darkroom, there's only so much I can do."

Cid gestured to a few of Tifa's photos, recent additions, on the wall and said, " Well, screw it, who needs a nice camera when you can already blow the fuckin' world away with pictures like these?"

The photos were one's she had taken a few weeks ago, at a concert headlined by another one of her favorite bands, The Doors. (yay!J) They had a very cinematic feel to them, and accurately portrayed the bands intensity. There were also a few other she had taken of the back streets of Midgar and the people who inhabited them, strewn across the wall.

Tifa picked up a rag, and started to wipe glasses saying thoughtfully, "Strange, before I was so into drawing, but now I just can't stop taking photos of everything!"

" Well when you got talent, you got talent!" Cid said matter of factly, " But don't get a goddamn big fucking head, just cause you got talent doesn't mean you're not a screw up of a bartender!"

"Right," replied Tifa, rolling her eyes, " I'll keep that in mind."

The sound of the door slamming at the entrance of the bar, caused both Tifa and Cid's heads to swing around. Standing in the doorway was a tall, imposing figure wearing a long, black raincoat. He was wearing dark sunglasses, and on his head was a gangster style hat, that shadowed his features.

Tifa glanced at the clock, and was shocked to find that it was already 6:30. The bar was usually packed by this time. Then she noticed the man was soaking wet, so she deduced that most of the regulars had been unwilling to make the sojourn to the bar in the rain.

The man came forward and elegantly sat himself on a stool, in a very aristocratic fashion. Cid was squinting in a way that told Tifa he didn't like the look of this guy, and Tifa couldn't help but agree.

Who wears sunglasses in the rain? This guy was the definition of creepy.

The man tapped his fingers irritably on the counter and said, "Are you people going to stand there with your mouths open, or are you going to serve me?"

Cid flared up with indignation, but Tifa patted on the arm and gave him a look that said, "he's no worth it"

"Of course sir, what would you like?"

Barely glancing up the man said, "Give me a glass of ice and a bottle of whiskey. And no, don't just pour it into the glass, I will be drinking all of it."

"Right away, _sir_" she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She grabbed a bottle of the brown liquid from under the counter then filled a glass with ice and dumped them both in front of him.

"What, no fancy tricks?" he said mockingly, to which Tifa coldly replied, "I believe you said that you didn't wish me to pour the glass for you."

"Right, I was just hoping for you to be a little more theatrical about it." he drawled in a monotone voice.

Tifa was bristling with annoyance, and completely ignored the man's comment. She turned her back to him, and suddenly realized how familiar this man's voice sounded. But… she just couldn't place where she had heard it before.

Tifa glanced at Cid, and almost laughed aloud at his countenance. Cid was squinted so intensely at the customer that his eyes had nearly disappeared underneath numerous folds of skin, and he had practically bitten his cigarette in half.

The man either hadn't noticed or simply didn't care, he just continued to sip his whiskey in a surly fashion.

The Highwind Bar was always on the point of being uncomfortably hot, thanks to Cid's intense dislike of the cold, and she could tell that the man was uneasy with heat, since he was fidgeting slightly. With a sigh, he glanced about the room, and began to unbutton his coat. He shrugged it off his shoulders, revealing a tight light blue shirt. There was plain white text on it and Tifa read aloud, " I Heart (a/n it would be an actual heart symbol) Revenge."

She couldn't resist laughing, but stopped mid-giggle when the man looked up and she got a good look at him. He had taken off his hat, and his dark shoulder length hair was revealed. Tifa could feel her heart spinning as she came to a sudden realization.

It was Vincent!

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing, I was just reading your shirt."

For a split second he looked incredibly confused, but then peered down at it and murmured, " Oh right, I forgot… My friend has a clothing line…"

He trailed off then calmly returned to his drink. Tifa stood gaping for a couple seconds, bewildered and slightly hurt that he hadn't recognized her.

'Oh wait!' she suddenly remembered, 'He was super pissed when I last left him, so I don't see why he would remember me.'

She frowned.

'Whatever! Who needs him? I'm not even gonna acknowledge him, I'm no screaming fan girl!'

Satisfied, once again she turned away from Vincent and grabbed a broom. As she swept Cid glared at her curiously and said, " Lockheart! Why's your face so fuckin' red?"

Tifa felt like she would die from embarrassment, as her face turned a few shades darker. She brandished her broom threateningly and said, "Maybe if you lowered the temperature in here a few degrees, it wouldn't be!"

Vincent raised his eyebrows and Cid just continued to glare at her suspiciously, but luckily Tifa was saved by the entrance of more customers.

Actually 'more' seems an understatement. The bar literally was flooded with customers.

Wedge, a regular at the bar, called cheerfully to Tifa, " Ho! The rains' stopped so we all made our way over to see your pretty face! Do you have any new dishes for me to try?"

He patted his fat belly jovially as Tifa smiled and nodded. He sat next to Vincent, and nudged him whilst saying in a confidential tone, "Tifa always let's me try her cooking!"

The brunette completely ignored him, even when Wedge nudged him a second time, and a third, and so on. Wedge wasn't one to quit and was about to nudge Vincent a tenth time when Tifa placed him meal in front of him. He decided to give up on the stubborn man, and enthusiastically began to eat.

Soon Tifa found herself extremely busy, between cooking appetizers and serving drinks. Cid had taken over the bar, and was whipping up drinks like lightening. Sweating, Tifa called out from the kitchen, "See Cid? It's times like these that we NEED another worker!"

"Fuck no!" Cid cried, waving his hands around excitedly. Cid always got hyper when there was a crowd at the bar or when anything to do with flying was mentioned. During his youth, Cid had been a pilot in the Wutaian War; practically one of the best ones out there.

"I mean, you're barely substandard at this job! I've done this all alone for ten years before you came, and there's no way I'm hiring another screw up!"

Tifa shook her head dejectedly, and struggled to keep up with the orders. After what seemed like hours, all the customers were watered and fed, so only the occasional drink had to be made.

Tifa groaned in relief, and took a swig from the bottle of Vodka she was pouring into a mixed drink.

Vincent smirked at her and said patronizingly, "Aren't you a little young to drink?"

"You're not that much older." she replied icily, "Keep acting like such a bastard, and I'll card your ass."

She was shocked by her own brazenness and could tell Vincent's feelings mirrored her own. He recovered quickly and said breezily, "Who took those photos up there? The one's of Jim Morrison."

"That was me"

"They're alright" Vincent said nonchalantly, but Tifa couldn't help but notice way he eyed them.

"So what, are you some sort of artist?"

"I guess you could call met that."

"Hmm…" he whispered thoughtfully, swishing the liquid in his glass around. He pulled off his sunglasses, and Tifa caught a flash of pain deep within the red irises. He turned his gaze towards her, peering through hooded lashes. Tifa couldn't help but notice how beautiful he looked, with his tight blue shirt and dripping hair, and she could just imagine him saying, "I Love you" in his deep, raspy voice.

He licked his lips delicately and said, "Ketchup… on your face..."

Tifa was mortified, and ready to turn away again, only to have Vincent lean towards her. His pale, long fingers stretched toward her face, as he carefully wiped the stain away.

His eyes were smoldering, but Tifa couldn't help but feel her stomach sink. As much as wanted to enjoy such attention, she couldn't resist the wave of nausea and fear that swept over her.

That bony hand reaching. It reminded her of _his_.

Her whole body stiffened and Vincent quickly pulled away from her.

It was as if he was withdrawing upon himself, setting some invisible barricade between them. Once again, a look of blasé mockery graced Vincent Valentine's features, as he leaned back and crossed his legs on the bar saying,

"So, why do you work in a bar? Are you a drunk looking for free liquor or something? Or is your mother a materia fiend, so you have to work your poor, unfortunate hands to the bone to pay the rent?"

This was a low blow, Vincent didn't realize how close he had come to the truth.

Years ago, when materia was first discovered in Wutai it exploded on the Midgarian drug scene. There were all different types of materia, coming in all colors and sizes, and scientists had revealed over the years that the smooth stones were formed when pressure was applied to Mako after a long period of time.

They were a powerful hallucinogen, causing it's users to see themselves shooting fire or bolts of lightening, while it also had the same effects as adrenaline, resulting in increased strength and enhanced senses. Overall, materia made its users see things that weren't there, and to be sucked into a false world of "spiritual truth."

Highly addictive, materia still had a stranglehold over Midgar. Dealers made millions, grounding the stones into an inhalable powder or mixing into a liquid form that could be injected with a hypodermic needle, and sold it illegally on the streets. People fought tooth and nail for the drug, despite its gruesome consequences.

Gradually, the stones gave their users Mako poisoning and too often people overdosed on it and died.

Tifa's mother had been a materia junky. She became so reliant on the drug, that the women spent virtually all the family's money to buy it, leaving Tifa starving many nights. Her mother was abusive, and when she had the gall to beg her daughter to steal money from the bar, to buy drugs, Tifa was fed up and applied for her emancipation. Tifa still couldn't help but love her mother, but the drug had transformed her into an unfeeling monster.

Tifa rubbed her arm vigorously and mumbled, " You should watch what you say…"

The anguish in her eyes was evident, but Vincent couldn't bring himself to apologize. He just looked through her disinterestedly,

" You rubbed your arm like that a lot when I first met you." He said in an even tone. Cid, who had been eavesdropping the whole conversation, and disliking this dark man more and more, swung his head around sharply.

Tifa was shocked, and couldn't think of what to say.

Vincent stretched his lithe, apple-white arms above his head , " You name is Tifa… right?"

Blushing, Tifa grasped the edge of the bar in order to stop it from rubbing her arm and whispered, "You remember me?"

Vincent leaned in closer, and throatily replied, "And you thought I had forgotten your sad, sad, little face…"

Cid growled when he heard this, deciding that this strange man was getting a little too friendly with his 'daughter' and began to storm towards the awkward couple. But his actions were interrupted, when the doors slammed open, to reveal two masked men, each holding a pistol.

* * *

Oh cliffhanger! (cue suspenseful music). I'm trying to turn the Final Fantasy world into a believable one, thus the references to wars and stuff. I know it's hella random that materia is a drug, but if you think about it, that sort of makes sense. Don't worry all these semmingly pointless references are going to be a pertinent part of the story later on. 

Except for the part about the Doors, that was just a gift to myself! Alright, review pretty, pretty please!


	5. BONUS

**DELETED**

**LOOK **

**AT PROFILE**

**FOR STORY, CIGARETTES AND BROKEN DREAMS**

**IF YOU**

**ARE ONE CURIOUS**

**SON OF A GUN**


	6. Sunrise, Sunset

Disclaimer: No own

See I promised and here it is! There was a rather mixed reaction to my bonus, but now that I think about it it just didn't fit and people were probably annoyed that it wasn't a real chapter. I've decided that later I will probably remove the chapter, and maybe turn it into another fic.

Errr...my poor neglected 'other'fics, I fear that I will never update again, lol.

Wow, I swear my little bonus worked though, because I practically wrote this chapter all in one sitting. It's my longest yet! Many important things happen in this one, so it's like a little present for waiting so long! You will soon know what happened to Tifa "that summer"! Are you excited? I am!

I'm sorry if there's a lot of mistakes, make sure to point it out if you see any!

Read on!

P.S. I edited this. I should go to rehab, because I am apparently a comma fiend.

_

* * *

_

_But do you know we are in high demand,_

_L__aura, us people who suffer?_

_Because we don't take to arguing and we are quick to surrender.  
_

_Well, I think I would call tonight if I still had your number.  
_

_Your thoughts have always laid close to mine. _

_We were both skipping supper.  
_

_But you should never be embarrassed by, _

_your trouble with living.  
_

_Because it is the ones with the sorest throats, Laura, _

_who have done the most singing_

_Bright Eyes; Laura Laurent_

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"If you value your lives, I suggest you leave this bar immediately."

One of the masked man growled, waving his gloved hand in the direction of all the customers. His words were heeded instantaneously as all the drunken men fought their way to the door. Soon only Tifa, Cid, and Vincent were left; the two pistols pointed in their direction.

Tifa was shaking uncontrollably, too frightened to move. Cid sat expression unchanged, perhaps just looking a little more pissed off than usual as he yelled in fury, " What the FUCK are you masked weirdos doing in MY bar?"

The man who had spoken before cocked the trigger of his gun and replied, "So, you're Cid Highwind?"

"Fuck yes I am!"

The man turned to his partner to whisper something in his ear and they both laughed. The second man pointed to Tifa, and even through the mask there was a hungry look visible in his eyes.

Tifa's limbswere strangely light as she felt the blood rushing from her head. Her vision was on the verge of fading to black when a warm, reassuring arm wrapped around her waist. She hugged her protector tightly, without thinking, and looked up to see an angular, pale chin and shock of black hair.

Vincent, who had been sitting with his back turned to the men the whole time, had noticed her near faint and was holding her in his arms.

For a moment Tifa forgot her resentment for this man, and took comfort in his strong embrace.

The two thugs laughed cruelly and the one with the hungry eyes said, "Oh, that's a pretty girlfriend you got there. We're only here to kill Cid Highwind, so if you hand her over to us I might just let you live."

Vincent could feel Tifa quaking in his arms. He crushed her closer to him, and turned to Cid, eyebrow raised,

"You know these guys?"

Cid sat for a few moments with a very confused look on his face. Squinting, he scrutinized the men's faces. Then, with a decisive air, he yanked an antique lance that was displayed on the wall and brandished it, saying, "Fuck No."

Vincent's eyes sparkled with amusement, but then remembering the gravity of the situation he turned back to the men.

"Why do you want to kill him?"

The one nearest to him cocked the trigger on his gun and replied, "That is classified information."

"Yeah, yeah!" said the other, stupidly, "But you get out, we'll get in trouble if we kill Mr. Famous. Besides, we might muss up your shiny locks!"

The ridiculous pair laughed, and high-fived each other since it was such a hilarious, witty joke. Then, realizing they had just shot their thugish image, reassumed a threatening stance.

The hungry-eyed one grinned, aiming the gun at Tifa and said, "Hand the girl over right now, and we won't have to kill her."

The other nudged him and whispered, "Kreid! Stop, the boss will be pissed!" But Kreid kicked his accomplice, and cast a meaningful look at Vincent.

Vincent's hands were threaded through Tifa's hair. He untangled them and leaned down. Even in her terrified state Tifa blushed at the feel of his mouth tickling against her ear.

"Tifa…" he murmured throatily, "I want you to get behind me."

She shook her head and clung to him tighter, but Vincent gently pried her fingers away from his shirt.

"I mean it. Get behind me right now, or I'll hand you over to those guys."

Quickly Tifa pulled away from Vincent, and he deftly grabbed her arm and swung her behind him.

Kreid growled in rage and began to pull the trigger of his gun.

It seemed to Tifa as if everything was happening in slow motion.

She stood in awe. In a split second Vincent pulled a small gun from the back of his pants and shot at nearly the time as Kreid did.

There was a deafening bang and both men stood still, seemingly unaffected. Then, it was as if the speed switched from slow to fast forward, as Kreid collapsed, choking.

He screeched, "My hand! My hand! That motherfucker shot my hand! Oh my GOD!"

Tifa could feel her stomach lurch in disgust. Kreid's hand was indeed shot off. The pistol on the floor beside him, he clutched a bloody stump between his legs.

It was completely gone, his arm now ending just before the wrist.

His friend stood trembling. Sweat poured down his face as he stared in horror at the writhing Kreid. Then he looked at Vincent, his eyes filled with fear.

Calmly Vincent walked towards him, the gun hanging limply at his side. For a split second he reminded Tifa of a panther; sleek and cunning, stalking it's next kill.

The man dropped his gun, stumbling a few paces back. His mouth moved up and down, but no words came out.

"Please don't." he mumbled, just before Vincent swung and slammed the gun into the side of his face.

Blood spurted from his nose, as Vincent stomped repeatedly on it. Finally, when he was sobbing in a heap on the ground, Vincent wrapped his hand on the man's throat and lifted him into the air.

"Now I'm asking again. Why did you come here?"

The man struggled feebly, tears and blood pouring down his face, "To.. Kill Cid" he choked out.

Vincent's grip tightened, "I know that. Why?"

The man's eyes lolled about in his head. Then he whispered one word.

"Shinra."

Tifa clasped her hand over her mouth in shock. 'Shinra sent them?' she thought, shaking her head in disbelief. But she didn't have much time to ponder the subject, since at that moment she realized the man Vincent held was in a very, very bad state. His face was bright purple, and his breaths were growing shallower by the second.

'Is Vincent going to kill him?'

The rock star stood, indifferent, considering what the man had said. Though Tifa knew that these were bad men, she couldn't just watch as one of them was killed.

"Vincent!" she cried, "Vincent…stop!"

It was as if he couldn't hear a word she said. All she could see was see the back of him, his long hair looking more animal-like then human.

She ran forward and grabbed him shrieking, "Vincent, you're killing him!"

Vincent turned to her instinctively, dropping the pitiful man.

Tifa's blood ran cold when Vincent faced her, his eyes narrowed. It was as if they were enshrouded in apathy… in cruelty. They glowed ominously as he gazed past her, unseeing.

Cid, who had been feeling utterly useless up until this point, dashed forward with his rusty spear only to be greeted by the backs of the defeated men. They had made a hasty retreat, leaving only their bloodstains behind. Cid ran to the doorway and waved his spear threateningly, growling, "And you stay out!"

Satisfied, he slammed the door and headed towards Vincent and Tifa. They were standing eye to eye, until Vincent averted his gaze and let out a shaky breath. He brought his right hand up to his eyes and sat unsteadily on one of the bar stools.

Tifa hovered nearby, torn between fear and sympathy, until she noticed the blood on Vincent's left shoulder.

"Vincent, you're hurt!" she exclaimed, kneeling beside him to examine the wound. He weakly pushed her away with one arm, his hand still clasped over his eyes. His dark hair hung forward, concealing his face.

Cid strolled next to them.

"Got you, did he? We'll have to take you to the hospital."

Vincent's head swung up at this. The look of cruelty had completely deserted his countenance. He looked just like a lost little boy on the verge of tears.

"No…" he murmured in a halting voice, "I don't… I can't…"

Cid waggled a finger in Vincent's face, "Now listen here. I can't have someone fucking shot in my bar, and not seek some goddamn medical assistance!"

"Yeah" Tifa interjected, consumed with worry, "Vincent, you have to go."

"No"

"Vincent, come on!"

"NO!" He screamed, tears welling in his eyes and streaming down his face. "Please. Please. I… it…Please….no"

Tifa couldn't believe it. Vincent was crying! He looked so incredibly sad and pathetic that Tifa just wanted to embrace him and kiss his trembling lips. Instead, she moved closer and placed a reassuring hand on his arm, "I understand…no hospitals."

Cid looked as if he was about disagree but Tifa shot him a warning glare and said firmly, "No hospitals."

Cid shrugged his shoulders and grumbled, "Fine, fine! In the war I got some first aid training so let me check out the wound."

Vincent flinched at Cid's touch, but didn't complain because he knew the alternative. Cid poked and prodded for a few moments then stood up declaring, "Well. You're fucking lucky. The bullet's gone straight through, so all we have to do is bandage that shit up and you'll be good. You should probably stay off your feet the rest of the night though, you'll be woozy since you've lost a damn good amount of blood."

Tifa sighed in relief, then realized that her hand was still on Vincent's arm. She pulled away quickly and asked, "Where do you live? I can drive you there."

Vincent, having pulled the pieces of his façade back together during the inspection, replied with dry eyes, "I live in a compound with the whole band."

"Oh."

"But, I don't think they should see me this way. I don't want to be bothered with a bunch of inane questions."

Tifa nodded. Vincent sat looking at her expectantly, and at first she didn't understand what he was implying. Realization dawned on her, and she turned away blushing madly. A little bit of humor glimmered in Vincent's glowing eyes, as Tifa looked everywhere except in his direction.

She turned to Cid hopefully and began, "Could you…?" But Cid interrupted, growling, "No fucking way! The wife would have a goddamn fit if I bring some bleeding punk into our home."

"Right." Tifa replied slowly.

There was no other option.

"Then Vincent, you can stay at my place."

"You live alone?" he questioned, alit with interest.

"Yeah… I'm sixteen but I won my emancipation in court."

Vincent was eaten away with curiosity, but didn't question her any further.

A couple of hours passed and Tifa departed, a bandaged Vincent at her side. They clambered into her jalopy and Tifa pulled out thinking, "This is going to be one awkward night."

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"Nice place."

Tifa whipped around to face Vincent, unable to determine whether he was being sarcastic.

"This dump?" She queried.

Vincent sat on the bed and surveyed the room, replying, "Believe me, I've slept in worse."

"Yeah, I bet all you rockers have a bunch of wild stories from tours and what not."

Vincent lay his head back and scratched his cheek. "Nah. As a musician I'm pretty well off. Before Death Penalty was discovered I didn't even have a home."

"No home?"

"Nope. My mother died when I was fifteen. I had no other place to go, so I was forced to survive on the streets at that stage in my life."

Tifa felt a burst of sympathy for him, "That must have been terrible!"

"Not as bad as you might think. Well, in the beginning it was, but later I made friends and we helped each other out."

"That's good, do you want a drink?"

"Yes."

"Am I allowed to pour it this time?" She said mockingly, a very serious look on her face.

Vincent glared, slightly embarrassed by how cocky he had been acting, and mumbled,

"Beer…is fine."

Tifa laughed aloud and strolled over to her kitchen/bathroom to grab a couple beers.

Vincent closed his eyes, trying to ignore the blinding pain in his shoulder. He could barely even move his left arm. Tifa's smiling face danced behind his eyelids and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

He barely knew this girl, yet he had talked to her more in their few meetings than people he had known his whole life. He had told her things about his past, that only a few of his closest friends knew.

There was just something about her, that made him feel at home. Not that he even understood that feeling, because Vincent had never considered his mother's house to be 'home.' Home was somewhere you could be yourself.

Where you weren't alone.

Opening one eye, Vincent stole a quick glance at Tifa. She was singing quietly, while she poured the drinks. Vincent recognized the song, one of his favorites, and softly sang along.

_You're just jealous cause I'm young and in love. _

Your stomach's filled up, but you're starved for conversation.

You're spending all your nights growing old in your bed,

and your tearin' up your photos cause you wanna forget... it's over.

You're just jealous cause we're young and in love

…_just jealous cause we're young and in love…_

He smiled, feeling at peace for once, but quickly hid it when Tifa made her way back to him. She handed him the beer and sat cross legged in the armchair.

They drank and sat in silence. Both wanted to talk, but just couldn't bring themselves to initiate a conversation.

Finally Tifa said, "So, why were you acting like such an asshole when you came in the bar today?"

Vincent raised his eyebrow at the careless way she asked and replied, "Don't know. Things are just fucked up. Plus, I'm a moody bastard."

"Oh."

They sat in silence a few more seconds. Tifa was ready to throw her hands up in exasperation. 'Ugh' she thought, 'Why does he have to be Mr. Silent Cool Rockerman all the time?'

Tifa thought of how obsessed she had been with him before, and acknowledged, 'He's definitely different from what I expected him to be like.'

Suddenly, Tifa remembered what the man had said in the bar. She slapped her forehead for forgetting and exclaimed, "Ohmygosh! I just remembered! That guy said SHINRA sent him!"

Vincent sat staring with a vapid expression on his face, so Tifa had a sneaking suspicion that he had forgotten too. Playing it cool, Vincent recovered,affirming in a superior tone, "Yes I've been thinking about that…"

"Yeah right!" she cried, "You forgot same as me!"

"No' he replied, completely unflustered. Tifa didn't know whether she imagined it or not, but she thought she caught a small smile twitching at the corners of Vincent's lips.

Dropping the subject, she said, "What do you think about it? I know Shinra's after Cid's land, but to KILL him for it? Do you think they would go that far?"

"Never underestimate the extreme measures massive corporations like that will take in order to make a profit."

Tifa glared and said, "Hey, you work for him. How do I know you're not a spy? And why do you work for him anyways?"

Vincent sighed and rubbed the back of his head with his right hand, "Please. If I was a spy I wouldn't have shot one of my 'colleagues' and as for working for Shinra… I was just desperate to get on a label… I had no idea how entrapping a contract could be."

"Your contract?"

"Yeah, it's pretty much ironclad. Do anything without Shinra's consent, and I lose everything."

"That's horrible." said Tifa sympathetically, "So, what do you think Cid should do about all this?"

Vincent pushed himself up and paced back and forth. He brushed past her and Tifa caught a whiff of his hair.

It smelled like cigarettes and rainy days.

Noticing that they were in very close quarters and Vincent was looking like sex on wheels, Tifa blushed and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Vincent sat down again, saying, "I don't know what Cid should do but…" He accidentally swung his left arm, and groaned in pain.

Tifa had forgotten how hurt he was. She stood up, knocking over a few stray drawings, and commanded, "Bed. Now."

Vincent whined like a little boy and said wailingly, "Noooo! Just a little longer!"

Tifa laughed despite her self, but held firm. "I'm serious, you need your sleep."

"Alright, alright... where do I sleep?"

Tifa paused and said hesitantly, "Ummm…on…the bed?"

Vincent replied, "That's fine, but then where do you sleep? There's no couch in here."

"Right" Tifa nodded her head with a decisive air, "I'll sleep on the floor."

Vincent regarded her for a few moments then flipped over, rolling himself up in the blankets,and said, "Cool, goodnight!"

Tifa grumbled as she pulled blankets out of the closet and spread them across the floor. He didn't even try to switch places with her!

Still grumbling, Tifa turned off the light and went to sleep.

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Tifa woke up, with something warm and heavy on top of her. She opened her eyes wide, and froze.

It was Vincent.

"Vincent?" she said softly, her heart pulsating in her chest. His eyes were closed, and Tifa could tell by the way that he moved that he was still asleep.

She was just about he raise her voice when Vincent locked his lips with hers.

She tried to scream, but he pulled her mouth closer to his, muffling her cries. Tifa struggled against him, but Vincent was a lot taller than her... and a lot stronger too.

"Lucrecia" he murmured into her mouth, and Tifa thought, 'Ohmygod. He's dreaming that I'm another girl.'

Tifa shook uncontrollably, and could feel the panic rising in her chest. She desperately wanted to rub her arm, but it was pinned to the floor along with the rest of her body.

As frightened as she was, Tifa couldn't ignore the feeling of Vincent's soft lips on hers and the warm weight of his body. She opened her mouth to try to scream again, only to have Vincent slip his tongue inside.

It was warm and sweet.

Passionately he explored the captive Tifa's mouth, as she tried to ignore the not-so-unpleasant feelings it was causing.

Just as she was about to give in, a memory flashed before Tifa's eyes.

Cold hands… That malicious, grating voice. Those dark malevolent eyes, grinning as he leanedtoward her…

Terror consumed her as she lashed out irrationally, doing anything to get away. Her body convulsed, as she unknowingly bit Vincent's tongue.

"Aack!"

He awoke with a start and leapt back. Vincent stared in bewilderment at the teen writhing at his feet. Afraid she was going to hurt herself, Vincent used his good arm and a leg to pin Tifa's flailing limbs down. She struggled futilely for a few more seconds then finally calmed down, attempting to take long, even breaths.

"You can get off me now" She gasped, and Vincent obeyed willingly. She scurried away from him and huddled near the corner, rubbing her arm.

Vincent, having no idea what happened, said, "Where the hell did that come from?"

Tifa glowered, "Yeah, that coming from the guy who makes out with people in his sleep!"

Vincent opened his mouth to deny it, but stopped as he recalled the dream he had been having.

It had seemed awfully real…

"Shit I'm sorry." he said apologetically, "But that still doesn't explain why you freaked out that bad."

Tifa didn't respond. Vincent wanted more then anything to reach out and touch her. Her long shining hair spilled over her pale arms, and her wine colored eyes were brimming with emotion. Her mouth was twisted into a pout, and looked slightly bruised from the kissing.

He would have given anything to remember what it was like to kiss that mouth.

Vincent felt a rush of affection for her, but quickly dismissed it telling himself, 'She's probably just another one like Lucrecia. I promised to never get close to a girl again after her…'

He turned his attention back to reality, when he heard a slight sniffle from the corner. The brunette started to sob uncontrollably, her shoulders heaving with every breath. Vincent rushed forward to comfort Tifa but she recoiled at his touch, looking at him as if he was the most disgusting thing on earth.

Vincent didn't try to touch her again but knelt on his haunches and said quietly.

"Tifa. Why are you so afraid of me touching you?"

She remained silent.

"Do you hate me?" he whispered mournfully, furrowing his delicate eyebrows.

"I… I just don't know" Tifa stopped rubbing her arm and hugged herself. "It's just…I remember and I get scared…I can't help it. I don't like being this weak…"

"Can't help what? What happened to you Tifa?"

Tifa was about to lie, make up some story, but when she saw the empathetic look on Vincent's face she wanted to tell the truth more than anything. Tifa licked her lips, ready to utter that dreaded sentence for the second time in her life.

"I was raped"

* * *

Gasp! Hahahah I guess it was pretty obvious but still... pretty interesting, huh? There was a lot of dialogue at the end which a have a hard time writing, but I think it turned out ok. A semi-cliffhanger, but I don't think as bad as the last one... 

BTW that song was a part of Soco Ameretto Lime by Brand New. I know, how shocking that it wasn't by Bright Eyes! But their names are similar so it's all good.

Well review, tips are welcome! Expect the next chapter to be a continuation, not a bonus.


	7. To Love and To Be Loved

Disclaimer: I own everything! Sue me, I don't even care!

Hello all. Let me just say that my reviewers are magical. 43 reviews! I love all you guys for sticking with this story I really do. It's really nice to have loyal readers, who always leave me helpful comments!

Just bear with me you guys, I know that sometimes my grammars sucks and things aren't written as well as they could be. I'm trying my best to improve in my writing, and every review helps me out.

Well, seriousness aside, I wanted to recommend that all of you watch the "Cloud Song". Google it. It is hilarious, I could not stop laughing!

Also this chapter's shorter than the others, but I will make up for it by updating with lightning speed. The next one is already half done!

* * *

The animals laugh from the dark of the wilderness. 

A baby cried hard in an apartment complex,

as I pass in a car buried under the influence.

The city is driving me out of my mind.

I have seen a child is caught in the sad trap of gravity.

He falls from the lowest branch of the apple tree

and lands in the grass and weeps for his dignity.

Next time he will not aim so high.

Yeah, next time, neither will I.

--Bright Eyes; Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)

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_Porcelain plates exploded on either side of him, shrapnel flying in every direction._

_The boy stood still, hands clenched, as the shards swirled around him like some vicious maelstrom. _

_His eyes shone, glinting specks of hate._

_The barrage came to a close, and the mock bombardier collapsed on the floor, screaming and cursing._

_Tangled and torn, dark hair silhouetted her face. She glared at the boy with equal eminence._

"_Bastard"_

_The boy's hands clenched tighter, red eyes stubbornly refusing the tears that threatened._

"_Bastard. Devil Spawn. Never can do anything right."_

_The boy was trembling._

_Grinning and spitting with ecstatic vehemence, the woman's teeth glowed ominously._

"_A piece of shit. You'll never be anything. You are trash and scum. No one loves you, especially not me."_

_The boy couldn't stand still any longer. He shrieked and in a fit of rage, seized one of the shards and hurled it at his oppressor as hard as his underdeveloped arm could._

_It struck in the shoulder, ripping away at the delicate flesh. _

_She screamed._

_Fearfully the boy backed away, and sprinted out the door. With every step the accusations echoed in his head._

"_Bastard"_

"_No one loves you"_

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Tifa wrapped her arms tighter around herself and awaited Vincent's response. There was a vapid expression on his face, as if he was lost in some sad thought from a long time ago. He remained that way a few moments, staring out into space, then whispered without even looking at her, "Who?"

Just one word. A simple everyday word, but nevertheless Tifa could feel bile rising in her throat.

"I don't know" she replied, her eyes downcast. They sat in silence and finally Tifa, deciding Vincent was waiting for an explanation, elaborated.

"I was at this party, and I had drunk a lot of beer which I found out later had been drugged. I was wasted and I think I passed out because I woke up with someone on top of me. It was really dark, so I couldn't see his face. All I remember were his pale hands, and the light reflecting off his bared teeth. I tried to stop him, but he was too strong, and he raped me over and over again."

Tifa said this in a strangely nonchalant fashion, but inside she was consumed with disgust. Vincent had no reaction to her speech, still seemingly dead to the world, and she wondered if telling him all of this had been a good idea.

His body was quaking ever so slightly, and his countenance was clouded with some indecipherable emotion. The brunette's hands were clenched so tightly to the fabric on his knees, that the his knuckles were even whiter than usual.

Feeling awkward and vulnerable, Tifa stood up saying in an overly cheery voice, "But that's all in the past! I really have to go to school now , you know, since it is Monday and I know rockers don't go to school, but I have to since I'll get kicked out. Plus I don't understand why you wouldn't go to school, since everyone should want to be smart and stuff. Not that I think you're stupid or anything. Uhh...so you can stay here or whatever…"

Her tongue always ran away with her when she was nervous, but her embarrassing ramble was interrupted when Vincent rose.

He was only a few inches away from her, and was a very imposing figure being nearly a head taller than her. Vincent still wore his bloodied, "I(heart) Revenge" shirt, which was now ripped at the shoulder exposing a tiny part of the scar on his chest.

Long, white arms lifted hesitantly, as if he wanted to hold her, but were dropped back down to his side.

Tifa fought the urge to back away, as she gazed at Vincent with uncertainty. His eyes were consumed with that same glowing, animalistic appearance as in the bar, and Tifa could almost hear his teeth grinding. He leaned towards her and a few stray strands of Vincent's hair lightly brushed Tifa's cheek.

She gulped, her face heating up from the unintentional intimacy, and found she couldn't look Vincent in the eyes. She rested her gaze on his chin as he whispered in a slightly strangled voice,

"I'll find him."

She barely had a chance to react, since Vincent abruptly turned away and said,

"I'll make breakfast…"

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Tifa scooped up a bit of pancake with her fork, and stuck it in her mouth. Her entire countenance lit up, and hurriedly she scooped up another bite and exclaimed, with a full mouth, "It's so good!"

Tears brimming in her eyes, she mumbled, "I think this is only the second time in my life someone's cooked a meal for me."

Vincent sat across the table, still wearing a frilly pink apron, looking very pleased with himself. He fiddled with its ribboned tasslesthen just folded his arms across his chest, and didn't reply as Tifa devoured the rest of the meal.

She patted her full belly and sighed in fulfillment.

"How did you learn to cook so good?"

"All I can cook… is pancakes."

Tifa laughed out loud. Yet despite the delicious meal she couldn't help but notice how different Vincent was acting. Last night he had opened up so much to her, but it seemed he had reverted back to his anti-social self.

'I hope I didn't freak him out by telling him the truth.'

Whilst Vincent was cooking she had hastily changed into her school uniform. The skirt had always been a little shorter than she would have liked, and Tifa was uncomfortable with Vincent seeing her in it.

Pulling down the skirt's hem, she glanced at the clock and said, "Well I think I should be going to school now…" It was had to hide the regret in her voice. It felt nice having a meal cooked by someone else, like she was taken care of.

For a split second Tifa wondered, 'Maybe he knew this would make me feel better. Maybe, in his own way, he's trying to cheer me up." But quickly dismissed it. Vincent just wanted to make something to eat, and that was it.

"What should I do?" Vincent asked, eyes never leaving her face.

'Alright, his staring is getting a bit unnerving'

"Um…go home? Oh right your shirt's all bloody… You can borrow one of mine, thought they might be a little small but I have some bigger ones."

Vincent arched his eyebrow in disbelief, "One of your shirts?" He repeated skeptically.

Ten minutes later he emerged from the bathroom. Ringing his wet hair out from the shower with a towel, he went to Tifa's mirror to inspect his appearance, while Tifa watched and giggled.

It turned out Tifa's only 'big' shirt was bright yellow, and barely went past Vincent's belly button. The sleeves clung tightly at the shoulders, since his were of a much wider breadth than the slim girl's. If that wasnt humiliating enough, the shirt also happened to depict a cartoonish sun wearing sunglasses, with text underneath reading, "Hot Stuff!" For good measure he was also wearing a pair of Tifa's jeans, in which the hem didn't even reach his ankles.

He scrutinized his appearance then turned to Tifa with a calm look on his face.

"I look like an inept hooker."

Tifa snorted, "Hey, my pants are only a little tighter than you wear yours."

"…"

"That shirt looks cute on you! Very…erm…punk…"

"…"

"I mean, I bought that a long time ago when I weighed a little more, and besides the sun is...nonconformist?"

"Come on, you can't wear that bloody shirt."

"…"

Vincent was just about to rip the shirt off entirely, when Tifa hastily ran to her closet and pulled out a black blazer. He put it on, and it cover up the exposed skin, and concealed the fact that the shirt was embarrassingly small.

The pants were still a little short, but it was definitely an improvement. Tifa glanced at the clock, as Vincent frowned in the mirror and cried, "Oh my god, I am so late!"

She ran out the door, with Vincent trailing behind. She leapt down the stairs and flung the apartment building's double doors open. Suddenly Tifa came to an abrupt stop at the entrance and turned to see if Vincent was following.

He had indeed been following, a little closer than she expected, and slammed into her.

They crashed on the ground in a tangle of limbs. She almost gasped at the feel of his warm body on top of hers. Somehow his hands had ended up on her bare legs, lingering on the soft skin as Vincent slowly pulled them away. Tifa blushed profusely in remembrance of the night before, and Vincent remained on top of her, taking his sweet time in getting up.

A bright flash caused them both to look up. Standing only a few feet away was a mob of photographers, who were franticly snapping as many pictures as they could. Tifa tried to shield her eyes from the blinding light, but Vincent roughly grabbed her with his good arm and yanked her up.

"Shit." he growled menacingly, "How did they find me here?"

The paparazzi swarmed around Tifa, screaming things like "Don't cover your face beautiful!" and "How's it feel to be with pop idol, Vincent Valentine?"

Tifa could feel her mind shutting down, and started to breath in short panicky breaths. Vincent shoved a photographer down on the ground, and dragged Tifa to her car, nearly pulling the arm out of her socket. He pushed her in the front seat, then jumped in the passenger one yelling, "Drive away now!"

Tifa didn't need a second urging. She peeled out of the driveway, leaving the few trailing photographers in the dust. When they were a safe distance away she turned to Vincent and said, "What the HELL was that?"

He ran his hands through his hair and replied indifferently, "The perks of being famous."

He lifted his legs, and crossed them on the dashboard. Tifa still stared at him, her eyes clouded in confusion. He turned toward her, a frown still gracing his features.

"I'm sorry that happened. Let's just say you're going to get yourfifteen minutes of fame whether you like it or not."

* * *

Wow it's even shorter than I thought! I dunno, this chapter kind of felt rushed and wrong... I like it when Vincent wears Tifa's clothes though...hahahaha. 

Let's have a little contest! I want everyone to guess who raped Tifa, and if you are right I will give you and invisible cookie since I can't give away the answer. It can be anyone, and I mean ANYONE from FFVII. I will also give a majorly awesome gigantic trophy to whoever comes up with the weirdest character.

Read and Review! I love you all!

p.s. urg...the chapter sucks...


	8. Going for the Gold

_Disclaimer: ME NO OWN!_

Finally! I know this chapter took a very long time and I'm sorry! I've just been having a lot of things going around, so I have'nt had that much time to sit down and write. This is one of my favorite chapters so far, so I hope it makes up for it. Also, I know I changed my account name don't let it throw you off :P

Incidentally, I saw Advent Childeren for the first time. I nearly died when I saw Vincent. I thought it was really great, but it kind of bugged me how they completely ignored things about Ancients or the promised land. Also, I thought the ending was too happy. : P I know, I'm weird, Don't get me wrong though, I thought it was amazing...I just wanted more and more!

After me and my brother watched AC, we started playing FFVII again and he was making fun of me because I knew every part, and I would scoff at him whenever he didn't know something. I forgot all the little bits of random humor throughout the game. Especially in Midgar, it's hilarious.

Alright, enough of that... Read on! Oh, and if there's any mistakes point them out, I didn't go over this after I wrote it!

P.S. OMG I forgot! The goes to That One Fan Fic Writing Chick wins the majorlly awesome trophy because she guessed that Red XIII raped Tifa. Hhahaha ewww...

* * *

And though I know that my actions are impossible to justify  
they seem adequate to fill up my time.  
But if I could talk to myself  
like I was someone else,  
well then maybe I could take your advice,  
and I wouldn't act like such an asshole all the time.

-Going for the Gold; Bright Eyes-

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President John Shinra had a migraine.

Between clenched teeth, his breath came out in a low hiss as he rubbed his pounding temples. He pushed himself out of the supple leather chair, layers of fat jiggling underneath a thousand dollar suit, and stood in front of his office window. It nearly took up the whole back wall, and through it President Shinra could view the entire city from a prodigious seventy story height. His migraine lessened as he watched the tiny ants scurrying about, absorbed in their individual lives.

He loved the feeling of looking down on the people of Midgar. Like a king, surveying his subjects.

There was a loud beep, courtesy of the phone sitting on his ebony desk, and he sighed. Shinra walked back to the table and pressed a button saying, "What is it, Jesse?"

The new secretary's tremulous voice emitted from the speaker, "Sorry for bothering you, sir! It's just, well, Kreid and Jericho are here to see you."

"Send them up."

Straightening his blue, silk jacket, President Shinra sat down again and carefully folded his chubby hands, then rested them on top of the desk.

Not moving an inch, he sat and waited for the peasants to arrive.

There was a tentative knock on the door, to which the president sternly called, "Come in."

Slowly the door opened to reveal Jericho and Kreid, side by side as usual. More than once the pair had been mistaken for twins. Both had rough, rectangular jaws, mousy brown hair, and a stocky build. Strangely enough the similarities didn't end there. The men were alike in their violent natures, and a tendency for cowardice too.

President Shinra glared at the two of them cowering in the doorway, "Well?" he queried, "Did you get the job done?"

Kreid was visibly shaken, and his black eyes widened. Silently, he held up a heavily bandaged arm.

The president glared at it for a moment, uncomprehending, then slowly realized the problem.

Kreid's arm ended at the wrist.

Shinra rubbed his balding head, and attempted to hide the astonishment on his face.

"What the hell went wrong?" he yelled, "Two strong young guys like you should have been able to take that old coot down!"

Jericho spoke, placing a hand on Kreid's shoulder, "Too bad the old man wasn't the only one there. Your fucking poster boy, Vincent Valentine was there too! He shot Kreid's hand off! That guy's an animal! He would have torn us to bits, if Cid's little bitch hadn't stopped him!"

Shinra's face darkened. "Vincent?" .

This definitely hadn't been a part of the plan. Things would turn out very difficult if his biggest money maker learned his true intentions. He could feel his anger at these bumbling assassins growing by the second.

The vein in his forehead throbbed, and he pulled his lips into a cruel sneer, "You idiots."

He slammed his fist down on the desk, "You fucking idiots! You're supposed to be hit men! God, I should have you slaughtered!"

Shinra's breaths came out in rapid gasps, and his face twitched convulsively.

"Now" he growled vehemently, "Does Vincent have any idea who sent you?"

Jericho paled.

"N-No."

"If you're lying, I'll have his other hand ripped off."

Kreid whimpered, and Jericho glanced at him worriedly. He turned back to Shinra and stated in a more assured tone, "I swear on my life that he has no idea."

President Shinra relaxed, and sat back down.

"Good."

He swiveled in his chair, so it was facing the window.

"It's just like they always say. When you don't succeed, try, try again"

---------------------------

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"Whoa, it's huge!"

Tifa exclaimed, her eyes widening in awe.

"I wish I could be as excited every time I see it." Vincent replied in a teasing tone.

Before them rose Vincent's apartment building, Shinra Heights. The structure dwarfed the buildings adjacent to it, and sunlight reflected off its metallic surface. Tifa lifted up a hand to shade her eyes, as she gazed longingly at the majestic building.

Vincent stood next to the door, tapping his toe impatiently, "Are you going to come in or are you happy just gaping at it?"

Tifa was shocked out of her reverie, and swung her head toward the dark man in the doorway.

"I'm not coming in, anyways. I am beyond late for school now. All I can hope is to at least make it for the classes after lunch."

It might have been her imagination, but it seemed something akin to disappoint flashed across Vincent's face. Tifa had no idea _why _he would be disappointed, since he was always either making fun of her or, even worse, ignoring her completely.

Even so, it was hard for _her to ignore _how incredibly attractive he looked at that moment. True, he was wearing pants quite a few sizes too small, and a shirt that said "Too Hot!", but somehow it didn't mar his appearance. His arms were lithe and white against the bright fabric, and she remembered how it had felt to have them wrapped around her…

Tifa mentally shook herself, 'Girl, you need to get these thoughts out of your mind! He may be sexy, but you already know from experience that he's a bastard! Sure you told him what happened to you, but that was just from a shock -induced lack of judgment! You should just go to school, and forget all about your silly, school girl crush.'

Tifa nodded her head, in agreement with herself.

Vincent smirked at this and called out, affirming all of her contemplations, "What was that about? You look like a whacked out chocobo when you wag your head back and forth like that."

"Do not!"

"Whatever, just keep telling yourself that."

Her eyebrow twitched in irritation. Taking a deep breath, Tifa smiled serenely and trilled, "Well, chocobo or not, I simply must be scurrying off now! Have fun hanging out in that flashy joint, I sure hope you can still write self-pitying lyrics while living in such a high class place!"

Vincent opened his mouth, then quickly closed it. Tifa felt like pumping her hand up in victory, as she turned away from him with a flourish.

"I'll find out why Shinra's after Cid." A voice echoed from behind.

She whirled around, only to see the revolving door spinning to a halt. Tifa growled in frustration.

"Why does he act all nice AFTER I insult him?"

She stormed to her car and yanked the door open, grumbling the whole way to school.

---------------------------

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---------------------------

Vincent watched as she peeled out of the driveway.

"What a drama queen." He said, rolling his eyes.

Tugging at Tifa's small shirt, he turned away and entered the elevator.

With a ding he arrived at floor 50, and stepped into his home of one year. Floor 50 was inhabited entirely by Vincent's band. Walls had been torn down and walls had been erected, to turn the floor into the band's own little mansion.

It gave off an overall modern image, with its sterile white paint and futuristic furniture. Oftentimes it reminded him of a hospital, which was definitely not a favorable comparison.

Vincent sighed. He hated how impersonal his new home was. He and Reno had been planning to redecorate it for a long time, but were too busy to ever get around to it.

'Hmmm… maybe we should have Elena do it." Vincent mused.

He wandered down the halls, to see if anyone was around. Despite the lavishness of their dwelling, most of the time the members of Death Penalty were away from home. It had never been like that before, but now that they had "made it" Vincent noticed that they were slowly drifting apart from one another.

Finally he reached Reno's room and swung the door open. Inside lay his red-headed friend, still asleep. Reno's mouth was wide open as he snored loudly, and his limbs were sprawled in every direction.

Vincent laughed. He could always depend on Reno being home during the day.

"Reno!" he said loudly, "It's 1 o'clock. Get up."

Reno groaned melodramatically, and pulled the blanket over his head, grumbling, "No…sleepy!"

Vincent sighed, then walked over and yanked all of Reno's blankets off him. He smirked at the red head, who was shivering in only boxers and said, "Come on, Reno. I mean, I was gone all night. The least you could do is pay a little attention to me."

Reno sleepily rubbed one of the scars on his cheek with a pale thumb, "Jeez, Vincent. You singers and your needy ways."

He sat up and smiled a wide, crooked grin, that looked too big for his face. "A few years back you would have done anything to get rid of me, but now you are under the spell that is… Reno."

Vincent snorted sarcastically, "Sure, that's what it is."

"So, where were you last night? Me an' Rude wanted you to come back and play poker with us, but you didn't answer your cell."

Vincent sat primly on the corner of Reno's stained sheets and shrugged. Reno couldn't help but laugh at the look of distaste on Vincent's face.

"What's so funny?" He asked, glaring at his friend.

"I swear, you're a total prince Vincent. What's a little dirt going to do to you?"

"It has germs."

"I bet there are a million germs living in that wild hair of yours."

"No, I take very good care of my hair. I just like things to be clean, that's all. Unlike you, I can't sleep in sheets that haven't been washed for three years."

Reno punched Vincent in the arm and said, "I still say you're a prince."

Vincent rubbed the spot, drawing Reno's attention to what he was wearing.

"Dude, wear did you get those clothes?"

"Nowhere."

"Ha! Look at that shirt! And those pants! I never thought I'd see the great Vincent Valentine wearing a belly shirt! Ha ha ha ha-haummmph!"

His laughter was cut short by a pillow being shoved over his face. As the unfortunate lad struggled for air, Vincent examined his fingernails in the fluorescent light. Finally, after a good amount of time, Vincent released his victim.

Reno gasped and tried to regain his breath. After regaining his composure, Reno grinned widely and said, "So, who is it?"

"What?"

"Who's the chick that gave you the duds?"

Vincent groaned and rubbed the back of his head, "Jesus, do you want to be smothered again?"

Reno scooted closer, and looked up at Vincent with big puppy dog eyes, "So, Vin Vin! Who's the lucky lady? Another one of your one night stands? Or is it true love?"

"True love?" Vincent snorted derisively, "Hardly."

"Well, what happened then?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right, tell meeee!"

Vincent looked down at his obnoxious friend. He titled his head--long, dark hair lightly swaying in front of his red eyes.

"Alright, I'll tell you. Just quit the whining."

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"Argh I hate him! I hate him!"

Yuffie giggled through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Why? He's practically the sexiest man on earth! It doesn't even sound like he did anything that bad."

Tifa actually couldn't put her finger on what exactly he had done to make her so mad. Sure, he wasn't incredibly nice, but he hadn't been THAT cruel to her. Yet, for some reason the very thought of him at that moment, just pissed her off.

Shrugging her shoulders, Tifa violently bit into her apple and continued to vent her frustrations

"Please Yuffie, you didn't have to hang out with him a whole night! He's all moody and cocky and he thinks he's sooooo cool. Seriously, he may be hot and write good music, but that doesn't mean he still can't be a JERK!"

Tifa was brandishing her half eaten apple in the air, and Yuffie laughed so hard that bits of food flew out of her mouth. She merrily wiped the edge of her lip and said, "I don't ever think I've seen you get so worked up over a guy."

"So?"

"So that means you looove him!"

Tifa blushed. "Yeah right! Didn't you just hear me say what a jerk he was? Didn't you listen to my whole story of his jerkiness?"

Yuffie took a swig out of her soda and gazed wistfully into the distance, "A hot jerk…You're so lucky Tifa. Think about it. Who else can say they had Vincent Valentine sleep over their house?…I would have totally freaked it if I were you."

"I did when we first met… It's not like we're ever gonna see each other again anyways. He'll forget me in a couple days."

Yuffie smirked and said, in a superior tone, "Do I hear a little disappointment in your voice?"

"N-no…you're just imagining things, Yuffie."

Yuffie was just about to interrogate her friend further, when something bumped into her from behind. The force of the blow sent her face careening into Tifa's bowl of salad, which was sitting on the lunch table. Yuffie yelped and whipped her head back up, pawing the dressing away from her eyes.

Yuffie twisted her head around and was greeted by the sight of an all too familiar blond. Scarlet blew them a kiss with her pouty red lips, and strutted a few feet away to be engulfed by a gaggle of friends.

Yuffie's face contorted in rage and she stood up, intent on beating Scarlet into a "scarlet" pulp. She stopped when there was resistance on her arm, and looked down to see Tifa's hand grasped around her wrist. "It's not worth it, you'll just get into trouble." She said.

Yuffie tried to pull away, but Tifa doggedly clung to her wrist. Defeated, Yuffie sat down and pouted like a petulant child. Tracing little dressing spirals all over the table, Yuffie glowered at Tifa and said morosely, "You never let me have any fun."

"Shh!"

Tifa clasped a hand over Yuffie's mouth.

"Oaawahhad?" Yuffie mumbled, speech impeded by Tifa's fingers.

"Scarlet's talking about Death Penalty."

This was enough to catch Yuffie's interest. Both girls turned their full attention to Scarlet and her posse, strained to hear what they were saying.

Scarlet flipped her long blond hair and smoothed her leather skirt. She smiled mysteriously at her friends and said, "You know, he andI have been spending so much time together since my father signed on their band. He's so handsome. Those delicious red eyes are simply to die for."

It was obvious she was talking about Vincent. Yuffie glanced at Tifa, whose face darkened.

One of Scarlet's blond clones squealed delightedly, "So are you two going out now?"

"Practically. He's going to take me to Don Corneo's party soon. You know, all of Midgar's A-list are going to be there!"

The girls groaned in envy. The girl who had spoken before said, "Oh Scarlet you are so amazing! Of course a rock star like him would only go out with someone as perfect as you."

Scarlet's eyes sparkled at this. "Obviously." She replied, and crossed her arms across her chest, successfully revealing even more cleavage than usual. She tapped a long, red spike heel on the ground.

"You know, I'm pretty sure he's in love with me."

The girls groaned once more. Then, the bell rang and the horde of girls exited the cafeteria.

Yuffie felt Tifa's hand drop from her face, and she turned to her friend. Tifa's burgundy eyes were brimming with emotion as she stared down at her plain, flat shoes.

"I don't care." she whispered, unconvincingly, "That…jerk."

* * *

awwwww! Poor Tifa! I love Kreid and Jericho. Don't ask why...I just do. 

Hey, last time I got 20 reviews on one chapter! I guess you guys liked having a question to answer, so let me think of another one...hmmm...uhhh...how about, Do you think that Vincent really has a thing for Scarlet?

Or...do you think Vincent should forget Tifa and be gay with Reno? Hahaha Oh well, Just review and I'll be happy :)

P.S. I just remembered I promised iyoku-ishi that I would have Vincent wear baggy pants in this chapter...er...next time, I swear!


	9. The First Day of My Life

_Disclaimer: I don't own. But I totally PWN Final Fantasy VII_

Gasp! I updated! I know... I have been gone sooo long. I've just been busy this summer. But, here it is! I happen to love this chapter. It is super fun, and one I have been waiting to write since the very beginning of this story. Well, I'm exhausted fromwriting this rather long chapter, so I'll just let you guys get to reading!

P.S. Once again sorry if there's any errors. You guys can be my betas and tell me what to fix!

* * *

This is the first day of my life.  
I swear I was born right in the doorway.  
I went out in the rain suddenly everything changed  
They're spreading, blankets on the beach

Yours is the first face that I saw.  
I think I was blind before I met you.  
Now I don't know where I am,  
I don't know where I've been  
But I know where I want to go.

Bright Eyes; First Day of My Life

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"Jeez Tifa, would you just suck it up and quit acting so freaking sulky?"

Tifa snuggled her chin against Yuffie's wooly blanket and said quietly, "I'm not sulky…"

"Ugh, then quit whining! You said you DIDN'T like Vincent!"

"I don't!" Tifa replied, a little too quickly.

"Then WHY did you act like a stupid zombie for the whole stupid day after you heard that he has the hots for stupid Scarlet?"

Tifa opened her mouth, but couldn't think of a response so shut it again. She groaned moodily, and engulfed her head within the confines of the blanket to drown out Yuffie's accusations.

Tifa didn't know why it bothered her so much. Maybe her years of Vincent obsession were harder to drop than she thought. Maybe it had something to do with the past whirlwind meetings and strange nights with Vincent. Maybe it was the fact that despite everything she said, despite Vincent's overall unpleasant nature--she had still grown to like him.

Tifa pushed these puzzling thoughts aside. She was nearly dozing off within the warmth of her blanket cocoon when she was roused with an earsplitting scream.

Tifa flung the blanket off her head in a wild panic, and bolted upright. Her heart thumped in her chest as she gazed frantically about the room. Yet, there seemed to be nothing amiss.

Tifa rolled her eyes. Yuffie could be so obnoxious sometimes.

She looked down at Yuffie who stared back with wide eyes and pointed wordlessly to the television screen.

Apprehensively, Tifa directed her gaze to the T.V. and gasped aloud.

It was a picture of Vincent... On top of her…with a headline reading…

Has Vincent Found Love with High school Student Tifa Lockheart, or is this just Another One of His Flings?

Having seen enough, Tifa rushed out of the room leaving a rather bewildered friend.

In fact, Tifa and Yuffie weren't the only ones to be shocked by this television report.

Three blocks down a very disgruntled man, nearly bit his cigarette in half and growled, "I knew that kid was bad news"

Even further away, in the ritziest part of Midgar, a busty blond screeched at the top of her lungs and fainted. Adjacent to her sat a robust man whom, completely ignoring his daughter's situation, silently contemplated this new development. While in the other room, his blond son stared at the screen with unsteady hands and lustful eyes.

And let's not forget, the millions of fan girls, who had always been comforted with the fact that Vincent would never date someone who wasn't famous… someone who was a nobody… and yet here was this girl who had stolen him away from all of them. At the very moment the telecast was aired, multitudes of bloodthirsty fans were already cursing Tifa Lockheart's name.

Then last, but certainly not least, there was the man whom had cause this whole entire situation. In his enormous apartment he sat, immune to his friends' relentless questioning.

Smirking, he reclined in his seat and delicately placed the back of his hand over his eyes and whispered, "Now things are getting interesting."

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"I'm sick…for real, Yuffie."

Yuffie palmed her forehead and kicked Tifa's bed heartily, growling, "No you're not."

"For real Yuffie, I feel terrible."

Yuffie resisted the urge to strangle her friend. Last night, Tifa had been so dumbfounded by seeing herself on the news, that she had proclaimed herself sick and climbed into Yuffie's spare bed. Now, she was still adamantly insisting that she was not well, and could not go to school.

"I don't see why it bothers you!" she bubbled, jumping up and down excitedly, "I would give anything to be on the news! I mean, now everyone thinks that a rock star's in love with you! You'll be a celebrity!"

Tifa shuddered and said, "Yuffie, that's one of the reasons we're so different from one another. You like attention and I… don't. Besides he's probably going to set up some kind of press conference saying that it was all lies."

Tifa's stomach dropped at the very thought. She could just imagine what THAT interview would be like.

Vincent would emerge before the public; long hair dancing gracefully in the wind and a very solemn look upon his pale face. He would delicately tap the microphone, and sensually lick his lips, taking his time in order to heighten the tension. Then he would lean forward… and the entire audience of reporters would lean forward, and with an aristocratic wave of his hand he would announce…

"Me and that stupid bitch…? FAT CHANCE! Yeah right, like I would ever hit THAT."

Then, laughing maniacally, he would leap into the back of his convertible and violently make out with Scarlet as they rode away into the sunset.

Well maybe it wouldn't happen exactly that way, but Tifa figured it would be pretty damn close.

"Come on!" Yuffie whined, interrupting Tifa's little daydream, "Just imagine the look on Scarlet's face! You don't wanna miss it, do ya?"

That definitely was an upside to the situation. Tifa sat a few moments, considering the pros and cons, then stood up and grumbled, "All right, I'll come to school."

Yuffie squealed happily, and sprinted to the bathroom to put on her makeup. Tifa pulled on her uniform, smiling now that Yuffie was out of sight. Still grinning, she adopted a glum voice and called to the other room.

"I really was sick, you know."

"Of course you were, Tifa, of course you were."

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"Vincent, why didn't you tell me that girl was so freaking hot?"

Reno's eyes glowed as he stared at the newspaper clipping of Vincent straddling a bedraggled Tifa. He was sprawled across the sofa, and much to Vincent's annoyance, couldn't stop raving about Tifa's "hotness".

In the kitchen stood the drummer of Death Penalty, Tseng, carefully chopping up mushrooms for an omelet. Vincent watched his long hands slicing with even strokes, as waist length hair spilled over his slanted eyes.

Tseng was a Wutaian born and raised. Vincent didn't know much about his past, besides the fact that both of his parents had been killed in the war. Tseng definitely had an exotic aura with his foreign features and Wutaian mark on his forehead. Due to his appearance, he had suffered a great deal due of intolerance before he had met Vincent. Then it had all changed.

Being in a member of the continent's most popular rock band tended to make people a little more accepting.

"Reno if you do not cease this idiocy, you will not receive any breakfast." Tseng said, in his smooth, deliberate voice. Despite his unfortunate beginnings, Tseng had worked hard to obtain a good education and was definitely the most learned member of the group.

"Reno cease dis idiocy blah blah blah…I'm Tseng and I'm sooooo smart."

"I mean it." He growled,

"Like I want a stupid omelet anyways. How come you never make anything good for breakfast? Like… waffles or sausage, huh?"

"Because waffles are unhealthy and I'm a vegetarian."

"God, could you be any more boring, Tseng?"

"We have the whole day ahead of us to find out."

Vincent rubbed his temples. Reno and Tseng could squabble like this for hours. Still, he was glad that the Wutaian man had diverted Reno from ogling the picture of Tifa.

Tifa.

She did look good in that photo. Ever since he had seen that news report last night he couldn't stop thinking about her. From what he had learned from her actions so far, Vincent had a feeling that she would not be happy about all the attention.

Vincent bit his knuckle in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture and whispered, "I hope she's okay…"

"What?" Reno was staring at him, aqua eyes alit with interest.

Shit. Had he said that aloud? Vincent cleared his throat and mumbled, "Nothing" in a very manly tone.

Reno crossed his arms across his chest and laughed, "Yeah right. You were talking about that girl! Awww how cute! Widdle Vincent is worried 'bout his widdle girlfwend!

"She's not my girlfwend…" Vincent replied sulkily.

Reno always seemed to know what he was thinking. Everyone else considered him some big mystery, but the rambunctious redhead saw right through all of that.

"Why don't you invite her to the party?" A smooth voice interjected.

Vincent swung his head around. Tseng was boring his eyes into him.

Corneo's party…Maybe she would want to go since Shinra would be there. He could call it… reconnaissance.

Then he wouldn't have to care if she shot him down.

Wait. Vincent Valentine afraid of being shot down? THE Vincent Valentine chasing after a girl? Vincent mentally shook his head.

Tifa could come to him. There was no way in hell he was going to demean himself, by following some girl around like a little puppy dog.

"You know, Shinra called and said if you don't have a date already he wants you to go with Scarlet."

Well. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Hey guys, I'll be back later. There's something important I need to do."

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Tifa grasped tightly at Yuffie's wrist. "They're all… staring at me." She whispered tightly out of the corner of her mouth.

It was true. An eerie silence followed Tifa as she walked down the halls. All laughter and socializing would cease leaving only wide eyes gazing in her direction.

Trying to remain calm, Tifa kept her head high and acted as if everything was normal. She and Yuffie hardly made it five feet before they were stopped dead in their tracks. A slightly nervous looking girl stood in their way—gazing up at Tifa adoringly.

She brushed back her wispy brown hair and asked tremulously, "Do you really know Vincent?"

At a loss for words, Tifa just stood there feeling incredibly awkward. Yuffie, however, let out a brilliant smile and said loudly, "Hell yeah she does!"

The girl's eyes shone. Squealing delightedly, she clapped her hands and cried, "Oh my god! You are SO lucky! Is he incredibly hot? Is red the real color of his eyes? Does he REALLY have a tattoo of a chocobo on his butt?"

Tifa took a few steps back. "Err…umm…yes?"

The girl screamed a scream that bordered on hysteria and, gaining courage from her brave endeavor, more students began to migrate in Tifa's direction.

Pretty soon she was up to her elbows in fanatical fan girls who assaulted her with a relentless wave of questioning. Yet, just over their over the posse's bleached blond heads, she could see a group of individuals that looked less than thrilled. Clustered in the corner, they were all glaring hostilely in her direction.

Tifa may have been able to simply dismiss their apparent animosity, telling herself that it was directed toward the mob and not herself, but then she saw what they were wearing. Every girl, and one boy, had on a black T-shirt that said "The Valentine Fan Club" on the front, and on the back it read in blood red type "Down with Ifa-Tay"

The pig latin was indeed a clever ruse, but Tifa saw right through that. The hardcore Vincent fans were out to get her!

Tifa's epiphany was cut by a small bony hand, which wrapped itself tightly around her forearm and yanked her out of the sea of bodies. She smiled gratefully at Yuffie, her savior, and they sprinted away.

As they were running Tifa said, "Yuffie, I think the Valentine Club's out to get me."

"Well durr! Just wait 'till we get to old Wormy's class. You think the Valentine Club is mad, Scarlet is going to FLIP!"

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'Awwwwkwaaaarrddd' Yuffie mouthed silently as they took their seats. They were five minutes late and once again, big surprise, everyone was staring at them.

Tifa couldn't even imagine what lunch was going to be like. She was getting more attention on this one day than she had collectively in the past two years.

Ms. Wormwood pursed her lips and smacked her tongue on the roof of her mouth a few times before crowing, "Why are you ladies tardy?"

Before Tifa could say anything, Yuffie spoke up. "Cause all these girls were chasing Tifa down and wouldn't let us alone." She gave Ms. Wormwood a secretive smile and crooned, "You know with the whole…Vincent Valentine situation."

Tifa rolled her eyes in annoyance. Yuffie could be so… tactless sometimes.

Mrs. Wormwood gave Tifa a knowing smile and replied, "Yes, we all know about Tifa's little rock star boyfriend."

There was a loud choking sound in the back of the room and the whole class whirled around. It had come from Scarlet. Her face was glowing bright red and she was clutching her pencil so tightly that Tifa was shocked it hadn't snapped.

For once in her life, Scarlet didn't look…well… let's say, "Put together". Her blond locks were in complete disorder, and her outfit looked like a rabid monkey had chosen it. Also, with no makeup on, her face was washed out and plain.

Noticing that everyone was staring at her, Scarlet faked a smiled, which looked more like a grimace and growled, "She's not his girlfriend!"

"That's right." One of her flunkies piped up, a bit unenthusiastically. It seemed that her friends were starting to doubt their idol, now that it was becoming apparent that she and Vincent weren't as close as previously claimed.

"Right" Interjected a deep voice.

The entire class whirled once again, and gasped at what they saw. Vincent Valentine was standing in the doorway.

Well… not exactly standing…more like leaning against the doorway nonchalantly, with his arms crossed in front of him.

Tifa's heart started beating so fast that, if in a different situation, she would have feared for her life. Jumbled thoughts rushed through her head.

It was Vincent? How? Why? He had just agreed with what Scarlet had said. It seemed as if Tifa's frightening daydream was coming to life.

Lightly brushing back his hair, Vincent strolled over to Mrs. Wormwood and said, huskily, "Would it be all right if I borrowed Tifa Lockheart for the day?"

Tifa felt a tremor fly through her body. Mrs. Wormwood looked completely enamored and, batting her eyelashes replied, "I guess we can make an…. exception. But only if you… maybe." She nervously pulled something out of her purse. "Would you sign this?"

It was a copy of one of the magazines that contained the article about Tifa and Vincent. Chuckling softly, Vincent complied, leaving Ms. Wormwood with a look of pure bliss gracing her visage.

Then, taking his sweet time, he strode past Tifa's dumbfounded peers and halted right in front of her desk. The brunette, desperately endeavoring to keep her cool, utilized her most blasé tone and asked, "May I help you?"

Yet, despite how she may appear on the outside, Tifa was completely freaking out on the inside. All of her former, rather unfounded, animosity was forgotten as she gazed into Vincent's eyes. They glowed warmly and for once looked so…inviting. He was wearing a loose white T-shirt, baggy, Mythril brand jeans, and his hair looked disheveled, as if he had just gotten out of bed.

Maybe that was the idea.

His confident pose seemed to falter a bit at her cold manner, but he recovered quickly. He turned to her classmates and recited aloud, as if giving a speech. "To clear up all the gossiping and rumors I am here to say that Tifa Lockheart is…not my girlfriend."

Scarlet, whom Tifa had totally forgotten about, let out a satisfied noise and looked happy enough to burst.

Tifa's cheeks grew red with shame, but then she felt something warm grasp her hand. She gazed in confusion at the long delicate fingers.

"But… I have to say that I like her."

The grip tightened. "I like her very much."

There was a clunk in the back of the room, and Tifa vaguely guessed that Scarlet had fainted, but all of her attentions were drawn to the hand on top of hers. The classroom was in complete disarray as half of the students rushed to Scarlet's side while the other half watched Tifa and Vincent intently.

But, the majority of what was happening didn't even register. It was as if they were the only two people in the world.

Vincent knelt down beside her and said, "Will you go to Don Corneo's party with me?"

She nodded in response, not trusting her voice.

Vincent smiled. A true, genuine smile that lit up his whole face.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

Awww sooooo adorabllleeeeee! Vincent is so full of himself, having to announce everything in front of Tifa's class like a big macho man. I know it's OOC, but I figger since he never went through any experimental crap and he's a teenager and he's a rock star, that I am justified in making him a little cocky. 

Well... Review!

P.S. OMG Vincent wore baggy pants! ;)


	10. An Attempt to Tip the Scales

Disclaimer: I dont own Final Fantasy VII

Hello! Wow, this was actually a quick update for me. :( I'm sorry its still wasn't a speedy one. I've just been having a hard time with this story, because I didn't plan out with a definite plot when I started, so I'm kind of going by trial and error. It's funny, I start a chapter with a certain plan in mind, but then I let it wander into different directions.

Well, I'm trying my best! This chapter's short, but it's sweet...so I like it.

P.S. PLEASE tell me if you see any mistakes. I hate it when I look back, and realize how messed up a chapter is.

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So there still is hope.  
Yes, I can be healed.  
There is someone looking for what I concealed in my secret drawer,  
in my pockets deep,  
you will find the reasons that I can't sleep and you will still want me.  
But will you still want me?

-Bright Eyes; A Song to Pass the Time-

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Tifa closed her eyes and slowly counted,

_1.…2.…3_

Then, she hesitantly opened them again and sighed in not quite mock relief.

_He was still there_

Sitting across from the brunette, and looking more than a little confused, Vincent eyed her warily and said, "What's the matter? Are you feeling all right?"

Attempting to adopt an air of secretiveness, Tifa curled spaghetti on her fork, and gazed innocently at him, "Why… nothing. What makes you say that?"

"Well…I guess it may be the fact that out of nowhere, you just closed your eyes in the middle of our conversation and counted to three." He leaned forward, thrust his elbows on the table. Resting his chin on the heels of his hands, Vincent let his fingers curl delicately around his cheeks. He glanced back and forth then whispered, "You were thinking of me naked weren't you?"

"Gagh!"

Tifa slurped up a huge string of pasta at once, and choked in surprise. Blushing madly she looked down and said, "Well, you got one part right."

"Oh I understand."

"You do?"

"Of course. You were thinking of Ms. Wormwood naked?"

Tifa rolled her eyes, embarrassment forgotten. "Wow Vincent, I never would have guessed that beneath your hardened, icy exterior there lived a freakin' comedic genius."

Vincent shrugged his shoulders, eyes smiling, and replied, "I try."

Tifa took another bite of spaghetti, and stole a furtive glance at Vincent. He was acting so different. She had never know before that he could be so relaxed, and funny, and friendly, and well…sociable. For once, in the short time she had known him, his behavior was warm and contented.

She giggled when he attempted, in vain, to slurp up some pasta without getting it on his face. Pasta hung out of his mouth, as he struggled valiantly to eat the messy food in a dignified manner. Upon hearing Tifa giggle, Vincent realized she had been watching him the whole time and a faint pink tinge arouse on his pale cheeks. Quickly he swallowed, and wiped his face with a napkin grumbling, "Stupid pasta."

Tifa laughed even louder then said abruptly, "This whole situation just seemed unreal."

"Eh?" The rock star questioned, half listening as he strove to coil the pasta perfectly around his fork.

"That's why I closed my eyes. It just seemed like a dream or something."

Now she had his full attention. Vincent placed his fork on the table. Tifa, shocked by her own honesty, fixed her eyes on the napkin in her lap.

"A good dream, right?"

"Of course." She searched for the right words, "I just…it's…I never imagined this would happen. We've been sitting here for about two hours and, well, we haven't argued once. I'm having such a great time, and I always just assumed we had nothing in common…I thought you didn't like me…."

Vincent was quiet. Tifa figured there was no stopping now, so concluded.

"I haven't been this comfortable around a guy for a long time. And I'm just… happy"

Vincent smiled. It was so genuine that Tifa couldn't help but grin in return.

"Ditto" he replied.

Tifa stared at him blankly, and he said, "Well not about the whole being afraid of a guy thing, but in accordance to everything else that you said."

Tifa still stared, so he grumbled, "What's the matter? Something I said?"

"I can't believe you just said ditto."

"What's wrong with saying that?"

Tifa shook her head, "Oh nothing. It's just weird. Like seeing a…vampire say ditto."

Vincent raised one eyebrow. "Like a vampire?"

She nodded, laughing a little.

"I gotten that before. I guard my speech around people I don't know, it's like, kind of a defensive mechanism I guess. Most of time I guess I give people the impression that I have a major stick up my ass."

"Very true."

He shot her a glare.

"I just don't see the use in being friendly with people I'm never going to see again. In most situations, it's just easier to not talk. Less problematic too"

Tifa could tell by the telltale tightening of his jaw, that Vincent wasn't entirely keen on the subject. It was strange. After only a weeks of knowing him, Tifa found herself able to read the subtle nuances of his face. Upon first impression his visage appeared unreadable, but certain, rather small, gestures revealed what he was feeling.

Hastily changing the subject, Tifa said, "I can't believe Scarlet pretended that you guys were going out."

He groaned and rubbed his temples, "Urg…don't even mention that name around me. That teeny bopper drives me crazy."

"She is pretty"

"…no, no she's not."

"She has a nice body."

"Yeah, if you like plastic. She's so fake, I can't stand it."

Tifa couldn't help but feel a smidgeon of smugness creeping over her when he said that. "I guess you have to deal with her though, huh? Since she's the daughter of the owner of your record company and everything?"

"One of the major cons of being with Shinra Records. That, and well, everything else."

Tifa slapped her palm against her forehead. "Oh my god! How could I forget again? We have to figure out what to do about those Shinra people trying to murder Cid! We need out why, and find some way to expose them!"

Vincent stroked his narrow chin, and adopted a superior expression. He crossed his legs across the table and, turned his head to the side.

"I'm way ahead of you on that one."

Tifa clapped her hands together, "Awesome! What's the plan?"

Tilting his chair back, Vincent replied, "I figured that at the Corneo party thing, we could scope out the higher ups and see what they're up to. Then, I guess I'll try and get closer to the president, and maybe he'll let something slip. That's why I invited you."

"Oh…so you invited me to…okay"

Tifa's stomach dropped. Should could feel herself deflating.

_That's the reason he asked me…_

Ever since they had left Tifa's school, what Vincent had said was on Tifa's mind. He said he…liked her. But that could mean anything. Maybe he only liked her as a friend. Vincent hadn't even mentioned anything about his confession. As soon as they left the classroom, he acted as if it hadn't even happened.

_But why? _She thought, _Why would he go to all that trouble to tell me that? I think I understand him, then he just throws me for a loop._

"Well, thanks for inviting me. I don't know how much help I'll be. I'm not strong like you. I'm weak. Someday, I hope I'll find a way to overcome it"

Something flashed in Vincent's eyes.

She looked down at Vincent's hands, which were now clenched tightly to the tablecloth. Titling the chair back to its proper place, he let his head drop forward so a darkened veil shadowed his features. For the first time during the entire lunch, the atmosphere was awkward and tense.

"Tifa?" Vincent whispered, head still angled downward.

"Yeah?"

"You shouldn't…don't…"

He stopped and raised a hand to his forehead. Tifa couldn't imagine what had triggered his sudden change in mood.

"What?"

"I'm not strong."

"Of course you are! I saw the way you beat those guys! And, it seems like you always know what to do in any situation."

He let out a humorless laugh. "Tifa…you have no idea…I just…I thought I was once. But she…I…"

"Vincent, I don't understand what you're talking about."

The other restaurant patrons were eying the couple with interest, intent on hearing their conversation.

"I'm sorry. For a second you just….reminded me of someone. You're…so much like her."

Still confused and at a loss, Tifa just sat and hoped Vincent would reveal more. He sat up straight again, and his red eyes glowed. Tifa felt the urge to place her had on his tightened fist, but the look in his eyes frightened her. He looked just like he had that night.

"Tifa…" He leaned toward her, a hand outstretched. Unconsciously, Tifa cringed and pushed herself away from him.

Vincent let his hand fall.

"You're afraid of me."

Her heart thumped in her chest.

"No, well… I guess sometimes I am, Vincent. But, I mean, how long have we known each other? I know barely anything about you, and the same the other way around. Until today, we've only met sporadically and it was never in the best of situations. We're just two messed up people who met by chance, and chance alone. "

Tifa then smiled and said, "But that's okay. We shouldn't dwell on how we met, or things that have happened in the past. I think we can help each other, Vincent. Now, let's just have a good time. Like teenagers should."

"Deal."

Vincent signaled for the waitress to bring the check.

"Come on, let's get out of here. I want to take you somewhere."

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_I wish I was strong like you. Maybe someday I can overcome my flaws. Then, we'll rise above this city and be happy._

_Someday, we will overcome._

_I refuse to be weak anymore_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Hmmm. Damn Vincent and his moody secretiveness. In the next chapter it's going to be all fluffy, happy, good times I promise!

But where is Vincent taking her? You'll never guess!


	11. Road to Joy

_Disclaimer: I don't own SHIT_

Oh my god. I updated. Dreams really do come true. Ha, I know it's been QUITE awhile since I updated and I also know that I do this all the time. But, I'm back and I've already wrote the chapter after this one! So, yay! This was incredibly hard to write, since I wanted to get to the next one so bad. Still, I like it, even though it's written different from my other ones. Finally, Tifa and Vincent get to go on their date!

Read and review, as always, I love hearing you guys' feedback.

* * *

_I came upon a doctor who appeared in quite poor health.  
I said "I am terribly sorry but there is nothing I can do for you  
that you can't do for yourself."  
He said "Oh yes you can. Just hold my hand. I think that would help."  
So I sat with him a while and then I asked him how he felt.  
He said, "I think I'm cured. No, in fact, I'm sure.  
Thank you Stranger, for your therapeutic smile." _

_Bright Eyes; A Bowl of Oranges_

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---------------------------

"Oh my god, Vincent. I mean… this is just…oh my god!"

Tifa's jaw dropped so hard that it nearly unhinged. She couldn't believe her eyes, it was just too crazy. After finishing lunch, Vincent had forced Tifa to call and get out of work (eliciting more than a few curses from a very disgruntled boss) and shoved her into his black convertible. Despite many pleas and puppy dog eyes, Vincent had adamantly refused to say where he was taking her during the drive, the secretive smirk never leaving his lips. It was at this time that Tifa was able to discover exactly how reckless of a driver the rockstar was, so she practically spent the whole ride with her hands clenched to her seatbelt, and her eyes tightly shut.

As a result, Tifa was shocked when the car stopped, and she was able to pry them open. They were at…an airport?

She shot him a quizzical look, but Vincent didn't respond as he grabbed Tifa's wrist and drug her out of the car. She found herself docilely following the man, like a child, with wide eyes and a very clueless expression. She gazed in awe as Vincent waved nonchalantly to a guard stationed in front of one of the hangers, who then pressed a button that lifted the large garage door.

Inside was one of the fanciest jets she had ever seen. It was all black and sleek with bright red trim. Awe stricken, Tifa moved closer and read the words "Death Penalty" etched onto the side of the plane.

"Vincent…you have a jet."

"Well, technically it's the band's jet."

"A jet. You have…a jet."

Vincent laughed, and bonked the top of Tifa's head. She rubbed it and glared at him grumpily, as he talked with some official looking people. Then, he grabbed her arm once again and walked her up the staircase to the inside of the plane.

The inside was amazing. There were huge leather armchairs, a pool table, and a large, plasma screen T.V. A small kitchen and bar were in one corner, and there was even a bed in the very back. Tifa, threw herself onto one of the armchairs and looked up at Vincent.

"So, where are we going?"

"You'll see, you have to be patient."

He sat down in the chair next to hers, and helped himself to a coke from the mini-fridge. Tifa, found herself unable to stop staring at him. She had never even thought about this aspect of his life. Vincent is…rich, isn't he? It was too hard to imagine the scruffy rockstar as a multimillionaire, but that is truly what he was. After all, Death Penalty was one of the most popular bands in the world.

Tifa picked at her fingernails and asked, "So, do you fly in this often?"

He smacked his lips and set down the drink, "Nah, not really. It's mostly for when we're on tour. But, Reno uses it all the time. He flies to Wutai just to pick up his favorite brand of Pocky."

Tifa giggled, "That sounds just like something Yuffie would do."

"Hmmm, maybe they would make a good couple then."

"Ha, Yuffie would be ecstatic! She's had a crush on Reno for, like, forever."

Vincent ran his fingers along the cool, metallic edge of his coke, "How 'bout you? Have you had a crush on me for, like forever?"

Tifa's entire face flushed, and she made a choking sound. Vincent slapped her on the back and said, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You look like you're about to have a heart attack."

"That was mean!"

"Well, it must be true since you wouldn't have reacted that way if it wasn't, right?" One of his eyebrows slowly lifted, a very cocky gesture.

Tifa was getting used to his teasing, he just wanted to embarrass her. "Maybe" she replied cooly, "It's because I was disgusted at the mere thought."

"Hey, keep talking like that and you'll never get to find out what the surprise is."

Huffing, Tifa leaned back into the chair and changed the subject, conversing with Vincent in a very sweet manner.

---------------------------

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---------------------------

"Hey, sleeping beauty, it's time to get up!"

"Hnnn…whaa?" Tifa rubbed her eyes, sleepily, "Is it time for school already?"

"What the hell are you talking about?

Forcing herself to focus, Tifa found herself face to face with Vincent.

'What's going on?' she thought, then it suddenly hit her, 'Oh right, we were flying somewhere I must have fallen asleep.'

Vincent moved away from her and said, "By the way, it's very rude to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation."

"Oh, sorry I guess I didn't realize how tired I was."

Stretching his arms in the air, Vincent let out a yawn, "S'alright, you'll need you're energy anyways."

"Eh?"

"Look outside."

Tifa turned toward the window. She couldn't believe her eyes. Was that the…Gondola she had heard so much about? The Gondola…to the Golden Saucer?!? They had flown halfway across the continent!

"Vincent, is that what I think it is?"

"Um, I hope so."

"I've dreamed of going to the Golden Saucer since I was a little kid! But, it's so expensive I could never afford the trip!"

Vincent look happy, and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Well, what are you waiting for. Let's go!"

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---------------------------

Christophe Parfait couldn't believe his eyes, as he gazed at the couple buying tickets at the entrance of the Golden Saucer.

Was this possible? Yes, it really was him! He swooned, laying a hand on his forehead, a dramatic gesture that his "entourage" was quite used too. They caught him in mid-faint and waited patiently as he inhaled in short gasps, and fanned himself. Parfait's eyes fluttered open, and he pulled one of the men closer, whispering in his ear, "Mon ami…do my eyes deceive moi? Is that truly…Vincent Valentine across the room from us?"

"Um..yes I believe it is."

"Mon dieu!" Christophe let out an excited squeal, and abruptly stood up. "Ce n'est pas possible! Ah Vincent Valentine…mon amour…ma cherie…Je l'aime."

Christophe twirled flamboyantly, unable to contain his happiness, and his frilled shirt fluttered majestically. He hugged the nearest flunky and cried, "This is perfect! Tonight, he and that woman shall be the ones to act in the play! This will surely cause the world to recognize mon genius!"

Rubbing his hands together, Christophe strutted toward the unsuspecting pair.

A half hour later, Vincent and Tifa were backstage in the Theater Room, learning the basics of Christophe's fabulous "Improv Show" Tifa looked happy and excited, yet Vincent just glowered and muttered under his breath, "I can't believe you talked me into this."

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_(I wrote this in a play-like format, since it was easier this way :P. Also, I don't remember all the lines in it, so this it's different from the one in the game)_

_The curtains opens, to reveal Vincent Valentine standing in the middle of the stage, with a spotlight on him. He is wearing a cardboard chest plate, that barely reaches his belly button and his bottom half is clad with a pair of black tights. A red plastic helmet and sheath, match a red cape that is draped from his shoulders and, unbeknownst to him, "I Love Christophe" is embroidered on the back_

Narrator:-_loudly, and a bit melodramatic-_ Many, many years ago. In the great kingdom of Azolaynynthis, there lived a great and powerful warrior. He traveled the lands, protecting those weaker then him, and was loved by all. One day, he heard that there was trouble at the royal palace so he rushed there to hear the news.

Vincent: …

Vincent: …

Narrator: -_hisses_- Say something!

Vincent: …

Narrator: Uh…ahem…yes well, this was a warrior of few words. Anyways, he…um… traversed to the palace, and was greeted by the king himself.

_-enter Christophe, dressed in Kingly attire, flamboyantly waving his arms in the air-_

King:- _excitedly-_ Oh, great and powerful warrior! Hath thou come to helpest me? Alas, I knew that therest was something between us. Some special connection. Some, _very_, **_very_** special connection

_-He rubs his hands together and licks lips, eying Vincent up and down-_

King: Some very, very, very, special and… **sexy** connection.

Vincent: -_eyebrow twitches, and sighs a few notches louder than before-_

King: -_oblivious, wraps arms around Vincent and squeals_- Thou must savest us! A great, and horriblest dragon hast kidnapped the princess! Thou must rescue her and slayest him before the entire kingdom is destroyed!"

Vincent: -_pries the King off his waist and remains silent-_

King: _-smiling wickedly- _Ahem. Didst I mention, that if thou helpest us and speaketh often, then thou mayest receive a kiss from the fair princess?

Vincent: -_eyes light up. He uncrosses arms from in front of his chest, and raises a wooden sword from his plastic sheath_- I will kill the dragon. For the sake of Anythalolomomo and its people.

-_King, filled with awe, stares at Vincent until he waggles the wooden sword menacingly beneath his nose-_

Vincent: Take me there now asshole, so I can get my kiss and get out of here.

King: -_whiny_- But the warrior and the king haven't had their love scene yet!!

Vincent: _-pulls out gun and aims at king's head_- **Now**.

King: -_laughs nervously and begins to sweat profusely- _Ahahahaha….um…w-well yes, Oh l-l-look! Here cometh the dragon!

-_Enter Tifa and the dragon. The dragon is just a man in a motley, patched costume and is shorter than Vincent. Tifa, looking a bit nervous, is wearing a poofy, pink dress that, like Vincent's, is too small for her and barely reaches mid thigh. Her hair is done up in Princess Leia style buns, and her makeup is way overdone, making her look slightly like a drag queen-_

_-There is an awkward silence for a few moments, as Vincent stares at Tifa's legs, and the others are too scared to say anything since he's still holding the gun. Wait…oh my god, where was he keeping it anyways?!?-_

Tifa: _-blushing furiously- _Um…-_whispers- _Someone say something, I don't know what to do!

Dragon: -_takes the hint- _Arggghh!!!!! I am the great and powerful dragon! Fear me and my power! Now I shall do battle with thee, warrior, for the fair maiden!

Vincent: -_moves gun's aim from King to dragon_- All right buddy, skip to the kiss part.

Tifa: -_voice a bit shrill from nerves_- V-Vincent! Calm down! You said you would play along, don't ruin the whole play.

Vincent: -_staring at her legs as he growls- _Tifa….just look at what they made me wear. I'm going to be the laughing stock in the papers tomorrow, so I expect to get something out of this. I'll get my due, goddamnit!

_-Vincent cackles in a rather insane fashion. Those leggings must be a bit too tight or something-_

(A/N What can I say? Vincent's REALLY pissed and I guess it's making him a little crazy X D)

-_Again, an awkward silence. There are many flashes, from paparazzi furiously taking pictures and a few coughs come from the audience. One random fan girl yells "I love you VINCENT!!" and is quickly dragged outside by an angry boyfriend-_

King: Mon dieu, what a disaster! Fine! -_grumpily- _Oh warrior sir…the only way to defeat him is with true love. If you kiss the princess and your love is true you can defeat him.

Vincent: _-stashes the gun and smiles creepily…Again, where the hell is he putting that thing?!_?- Righto, Mr. King, I will do this and save Airedaleland or whatever the hell this place is called.

-_He moves toward Tifa, looking extremely satisfied. She lets out a nervous squeak, and trips over the dragon's tail who then loses balance and falls on the king, who then falls on top of Vincent. After all of this, the King is straddling Vincent, and by "accident" kisses him on the lips while the photographers snap away ecstatically-_

King: _-in a sultry tone- _Oh my, how did this happen? Well, I guess I was right when I said that we had a very, very, very, very, very sexy connection.

Vincent: -_looks ready to explode- _Get. Off. Of. Me…now.

-_The look in his red eyes is so frightening, that the narrator decides to end it_-

Narrator: -_quickly- _And then theylivedhappilyeveraftertheend!!

-_The curtain closes, amidst earsplitting applause-_

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"Tifa we have to get out of here!"

"But, but I'm still wearing this stupid dress!"

"Hey, me too but we don't have any time to change they're coming!"

"Vincent….I'm scared!"

"Don't worry. I've escaped from ravenous fan girls and paparazzi before, quick turn here."

"Ouch! One of them ripped off part of my dress!"

"We're almost there, just a little further."

"Oh, I see it, Vincent, I see it! Will we really be safe there?

"For the time being at least. Oh, and Tifa?"

"Yeah?"

"You know this is all your fault right?"

"…I know"

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_(I forget what the thing is called that Cloud and Aeris (or Tifa, or Yuffie, or Barret) ride on the Golden Saucer date, so I'm just going to call it a Ferris Wheel)_

Having hastily bought tickets, Tifa and Vincent practically leapt onto one of the covered cars of the Ferris wheel, with a rabid posse nipping at their heels. Tifa breathed a sigh of relief, and rested her head on the cool glass of the window.

She had never realized how frantic Vincent's fans could be! All she wanted was to have fun on their date, but it had turned into a disaster!

'I guess sometimes I forget that he's so famous she thought, 'I wonder how he deals with it everyday.'

The man in question, was currently glaring at her and picking apart his cardboard chest plate.

"What?" Tifa said, "What's with that look?"

"That," Vincent growled, rubbing his temples, "Was my favorite pair of jeans."

Tifa laughed, looking down at Vincent's black tights. They had abandoned their clothes in the rush to escape, and he seemed exceedingly bitter about it.

"I'm sorry Vincent, I should have thought about it when I made you do the play with me. I just didn't realize it would get so out of hand. Now, we flew all this way and the whole night's ruined…"

Vincent shook his head, "Nah, it's not your fault. I still could have refused to do it."

Tifa smiled at him. 'Even in tights and cardboard, he's still beautiful' she thought, a blush rising to her cheeks. Especially with the pouty expression he was wearing. Suddenly, she realized just how close they were to each other. It was so…intimate, inside the rising car, high above the wide, glittering expanse of the theme park.

Silence filled the car. One of Vincent's hands rose up, and he reached over and pulled a piece of popcorn out of Tifa's hair. Her eyes grew wide, as she gazed into his face, so close to hers. The red irises of his eyes glowed, and there was a smirk on his full lips. She remembered during the play, when he was so set on getting a kiss. At first she had thought he was just messing with her, but now…what was he doing? Tifa gulped and said, haltingly, "S-so…Oh look, fireworks!"

Moving away from Vincent, she placed both of her hands against the window. The black night sky was filled with glowing sparks, rising and exploding in the sky. All different colors gold, green, and red too.

But, she was torn away from the scene, when Vincent grabbed her cheek and turned her face back toward his. Tifa noted that his eyes were the same color as the chemical reaction produced by the fireworks, as he leaned over and placed his lips on hers.

She felt many conflicting emotions, happiness, confusion, and fear when their lips met, but these quickly faded away and she closed her eyes. When he pulled back, she could feel her whole mind protest. Her head was still, leaning forward lips slightly parted, as Vincent flicked her in the forehead. Indignant, Tifa opened her eyes and Vincent grinned widely, saying, "I told you I'd get my due."

* * *

Man...this chapter was LONG. It was especially weird, since I skippied parts and went back to them, and it was actually very annoying to write. Anyways, did you like it? I know sometimes I wrote pretty lazily but I think it was entertaining...Oh well, the next chapter will be up very soon! Review! 


	12. Make A Plan to Love Me

So...I finally updated. Um, yeah I know its been a loooong time. THat last chapter just didn't work for me, and I just have'nt felt like writingfor awhile, also I've been really busy with college application stuff. BUT, I'm happy to say that this is a fairly long chapter, and will lead into many more interesting ones!

Also, I just want to say, that reviews are usually what motivates me to update. Even one's that just say "Update soon". I know most people find them annoying, but they usually remind me that I DO need to update a story. SO, keep it up!

_

* * *

__Life is too short  
To be a fool  
I don't owe you that_

_Do what you feel  
Whatever is cool  
But I just have to ask_

_Will you make a plan to love me?  
Will you make a plan to love me?  
Will you make a plan to love me sometime soon?_

_Bright Eyes; Make a Plan to Love me_

_--------------------------------------------------------_

The week after the trip to Golden Saucer passed in a warm, fuzzy blur. After deftly escaping from the fan girls onto the jet, though still a little confused by the rock star's previous actions, Tifa and Vincent got along better than ever before. It was like a dream.

Already, in the past seven days, they had spent time together nearly every night. Yet, strangely enough, Vincent never mentioned the kiss that had occurred on the Gondola, and Tifa wasn't sure whether she should be happy about this or not. As long as he pretended it had never happened, it seemed to Tifa that their relationship was more of the "friend" variety than anything else. Really, nothing that could be called "romantic" had passed after that night between the two of them so, while still ecstatic to get along with and spend time with Vincent, Tifa had resigned herself to the fact that maybe they would never become more than just friends. In truth, she most likely had been misinterpreting his actions from the beginning; perhaps all along he had never wanted anything more from her than companionship. And, perhaps… that would be enough.

"Still," Tifa thought, banishing these unpleasant musings, "There's still hope. After all, Corneo's party is next Saturday, and Vincent promised to take me out shopping for a dress today!"

The doorbell of her apartment rang loudly, "Speak of the devil…" Tifa murmured, and sprinted toward the door, unable to contain a girlish squeal of delight. Skipping down the flights of stairs, she finally arrived at the main entrance, then, stopping for a moment to regain her composure, opened it with a impassive look on her face.

But, that look disappeared when she realized it wasn't Vincent standing in front of her.

"Cloud…" she murmured, too dumbfounded to say anything else.

Rubbing the back of his head, shrugging his shoulders, the man grinned awkwardly in response. He was taller than she remembered, though still rather short. Yet, he remained as shockingly handsome in a feminine sort of way. Always the casual type, he wore a simple pair of worn, baggy jeans and a white t-shirt, which offered little protection in the piercingly cold wind. The blond, fair hair that she remembered so well, ruffled slightly in the breeze. It was still as messy as ever, a bird's nest that grew in every which way…There was a wry look in his electric blue eyes, as he as he averted them away from hers and replied, "Tifa"

Of all the people she could rationally expect to find on her doorstep, Cloud was at the bottom of the list. She hadn't seen him in what…5 years? They had been childhood friends, and Cloud's house had been a sanctuary from her mothers cruel words and beatings. Yet, when his mother passed away one summer, Cloud was forced to move back with his uncle in Niebelheim and she had never heard from him again. Though, she had thought of him often in years past, Cloud had slowly faded away in her memory until now.

"You're… what are you doing here?" She asked.

Cloud laughed aloud, and shrugged his shoulders again. He always did that. "You're just as blunt as ever, Tifa. Obviously, I came here to visit you."

"Really? But, don't you have school and everything?"

"Nope, well not quite, I'm sort of being home schooled"

Tifa was confused by this response, but didn't have a chance to delve any deeper because at that moment Cloud wrapped his lithe arms around her neck, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Tifa's eyes widened, as Cloud rested his cheek against her shoulder, whispering, "I missed you so much" into her ear. Tifa stood stock still for a second, but then she caught a whiff of Cloud's skin. That clean, fresh scent she had always loved. It reminded her of all the times that they had spent together, all of the times he had helped her.

She was overcome by a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia.

"Cloud…" she murmured again, then closed her eyes and leaned closer against him.

They stood that way for a few moments, then hastily separated when someone coughed loudly from behind.

Vincent was standing only a few feet away and, apparently, had seen the whole thing. His dark red eyes narrowed into glowing slits, and his jaw clenched tightly.

"Sorry for interrupting" He growled, turning away, dropping a bouquet of red roses at his feet. Taking care to trod on the crimson petals, Vincent began to walk away.

Tifa pushed Cloud away and ran after him, she grabbed his shoulder, crying, "Vincent! You don't understand! He's an old friend."

Vincent shook her off him and replied, coolly, "Don't touch me."

Hurt by his tone, Tifa pulled back. What was with him? What did he care, anyways?

"Hey, it's not like we're going out or anything. I can hug whoever I want."

His hand paused in front of the handle of his car, and curled into a fist.

"You just….fine. Do whatever you want. I could care less."

With that, he ripped the car door open, stepped inside and peeled out of the parking lot. Tifa's face flushed with embarrassment and guilt.

Even though he had said he didn't care, Vincent sure acted like he did. Guilty thoughts flooded her mind, when she thought of what she had said to him, but then Tifa realized, "What should I feel guilty for? He's the one jumping to conclusions. He's the one who acts like I'm just some 'good friend'! Besides, It was just a freaking HUG for goodness sakes."

As Tifa struggled with her inner thoughts, a very confused Cloud walked to her side and said, "Was that…Vincent Valentine?"

-----

Vincent knew he had overreacted.

But still, simply knowing that didn't stop his blood from boiling, or stop his driving from being even more reckless than usual. Tearing through red lights, making illegal turns, his car careened down the streets of Midgar.

"Shit." he growled, "Shit, shit, shit!"

'Why is it always like this? Why can't I control my temper? When I see her with someone else I just…I just…goddamnit!'

Slamming on the brakes, screeching to a stop, Vincent's car nearly slammed into a group of pedestrians traversing the crosswalk. He dropped his head forward onto the steering wheel, hair curtaining his face.

'And today was going to be so perfect. Today I was going to ask her, I was going to tell her that I…'

He shook his head and sighed. His anger was all ready draining as he remembered the hurt look on Tifa's face. Really, hugging someone wasn't THAT big of a deal, that guy was most likely a childhood friend like she said, more like a brother than anything else. But…that look in his eyes had really pissed Vincent off for some reason. A look, well, that Vincent oftentimes found himself directing in Tifa's direction.

And Tifa….what right did she have to look so happy, hugging some other guy? She always seemed sort of wary when she was with him, like she was afraid to get close. Still, it wasn't really her fault.

'Well' thought Vincent, as the light turned green again, 'Once again, I have royally screwed myself over.'

------------------------------

"Um…Tifa, I don't think you're going to be able to save them…"

Tifa sighed, as usual, Cloud was right. In a chipped vase on her kitchen counter, she had been attempting to salvage the roses Vincent had crushed into a presentable bouquet, once again. Stalks bent, petals crumpled, the crimson flowers were simply too disheveled--a rather pathetic floral arrangement.

Admitting defeat, Tifa turned away from the mess and sat down on a stool. Rolling his eyes, Cloud sat up on Tifa's bed, where he had been lying patiently waiting for her to finish, "Finally, I thought you were never going to stop messing with those things."

Tifa smiled sadly, "Sorry, it's just…this is the first time he's ever given me flowers, so I didn't want to waste them."

"Yeah, speak of the devil how the hell did you ever get to become such good friends with Vincent Valentine?!? You used to never stop talking about him!"

"I know." Tifa blushed, "Crazy, isn't it? Sometimes I don't believe it myself."

To satisfy Cloud's curiosity, Tifa gave the blonde a quick summary of the recent events in her life. Excluding the kiss and the fight in the bar, of course, those would be exceedingly painful to explain. Listening calmly, Cloud's blue eyes remained fixated on hers as she told the whole story. She shivered, that had never failed to unnerve her, that unwavering gaze.

When she finished, Cloud nodded thoughtfully and said, "So, basically, he's a major asshole."

Tifa laughed, "No, no, really, he has a bad temper, but deep down he's a really nice guy!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Cloud lay back down on the bed and turned to face the wall, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Ooo, is someone jeeallous? Tifa trilled. The blond grunted in response. Tifa laughed again, of course he was just pulling her leg, Cloud always liked to throw little tantrums to get attention. Not a single girl was safe from him, back when they were best friends.

It was amazing how nice it felt to talk with him again. Warm and familiar, it was so easy to fall back into the routine of the past, like four years had not really passed and they were just picking up where they left off, two slum brats with only each other to rely on. Still…a shadow hung over their reunion…

_Vincent…_

"So" Cloud asked, still facing the wall, "Hidden somewhere in your 'Vincent is great' monologue, did I hear you say that he invited you to Don Corneo's party?"

Tifa blinked in surprise, "Uh, yeah… I did."

Cloud jumped back up, face glowing with a sort of proud satisfaction, "Well, I guess I'll see you there than." He said, nonchalantly, blue eyes trained on burgundy, to study her reaction.

"What!?! Why are you going? How do you know Corneo?"

Grinning smugly, Cloud buffed his fingernails on his shoulder, "I don't know him specifically, but he invited my manager and my band, since we're about to make our debut in Midgar anyways."

Eyes expanding, Tifa gazed at Cloud in awe, "Band? Manager? Debut? What took you so long to tell me this?"

"I tried to earlier, but then you ended up getting all distracted"

'How can this be?' Tifa thought, still staring at Cloud in disbelief, 'I mean, he was always a pretty good guitarist, and he was always amazing at singing to Vincent's songs (even though he hated him) But…good enough to be discovered and get a manager?'

"I know what your thinking" Cloud said, "You're wondering how it happened. Well, after I moved to Niebelheim, I started to concentrate more on my music. You have no idea how BORING it is in that stupid little mountain town. So, I formed a band while I was there (you'll really like them, by the way, they're really great) and we started making songs and everything. Then, one night, there were these people from this really fancy company, staying at the mansion down the street, and one of the members heard us playing at my uncle's inn. Then, he told his boss, the boss came and talked with us, and finally…we had a manager!"

"What company is it?"

"They're not as well know as _Shinra_ or anything, but they're starting to catch up really quickly. They already own and have set up enterprises in a lot of places outside Midgar, and now their trying to move their influence here. Music production is just one aspect of it."

Tifa slapped her forehead, "Their name, Cloud, what's their name?"

"Oh, right, It's called 'The Jenova Project.'"

"Cool!" Tifa said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but really cringing on the inside. Wait until Vincent found out that the guy hugged her was from a rival band who's represented by Shinra's rival corporation…"That's really great."

"You don't sound that excited…" Cloud looked a little pouty, "I thought you'd have a little more reaction than this. I mean, now you know a rock star just like you always wanted!"

Tifa laughed, "I've gotten used to being with rock stars awhile ago, you wouldn't believe the grief I've been getting in the papers and from other people for hanging out with Vincent. Besides," She stood up, "This is a lot to take in at once."

Cloud looked like he was about to say something, but then his phone rang, and he stood up too. Barely glancing at it, he said, apologetically, "Sorry, Tif, it looks like I have to go now."

"Oh that's too bad." It sounded sincere, but Tifa found herself a little glad that Cloud was leaving, so she could sort out this whole situation in silence. And, figure out a way to get back on Vincent's good side.

'Wow, when did move so close?'

They stood face to face, nearly inches away from one another. Tifa backed up all the way into the counter, unable to decipher the look in Cloud's eyes. In this vicinity, she could smell that clean, fresh "Cloud" scent again, and she had to admit that it was very nice. Yet, still, as Cloud began to move closer, his lips hovering just above hers, all she could think was that those were the _wrong _lips. The eyes looking into hers were way too blue, and she would much rather prefer ones with a little more…reddish tint.

Noticing her tension, Cloud sighed and backed away. He shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Just thought I'd see your reaction, no need to have that constipated look on your face."

"Cloud you jerk!" Tifa slapped his arm, and he left the room laughing, "See you soon! Call me if you want to hang out before the party!"

Tifa slammed the door behind him, to show that she was still pissed off. Yes, he was exactly the Cloud she remembered. A cocky jerk, who enjoyed pissing her off more than anything else. It was hard to imagine that she had _ever _had a crush on him in the past.

Sitting down on the stool again, Tifa gazed broodingly at her phone. While she hoped desperately for it, Tifa doubted that Vincent would call her anytime soon. He wasn't the type to make up quickly.

She thought over all the things Cloud had said, amazed by the enormity of it all. Now she knew two rock stars, and would have to go to Corneo's party, being caught between supporting her childhood friend or her….well, whatever he was to her. Actually, the coincidence of it all was pretty scary. Of course the cosmos was working to bring her down or something like that, by making a difficult situation all the more complicated! And, there was still the situation that happened at the bar to figure out! That always slipped her mind, but in the truth it was the most important.

Sitting for a few minutes, trying to sort everything out, Tifa wished Vincent was there. If only Cloud hadn't come on this very day, at that exact moment, she and Vincent would be out shopping and enjoying themselves.

'Maybe I should call him' she thought, 'No, he'll never answer…if only there was a way I could see him face to face.'

Wait, there was! That crazy night, Tifa had driven Vincent back to his place. She knew where he lived! Without even thinking twice, Tifa grabbed a sweater and sprinted out the door.

'Vincent, you can't get rid of me that easily!'

* * *

Hmm, so what'd you think? Lol, I know it's a stretch having CLoud being in a band and everything too, but I couldn't resist. THis chapter is more of a transition, into later chapters that I actually have planned the plots of! I know it was a lot of Cloud stuff in this chapter but...there will be more Vincent in the next. I know CLoud is OOC, but I've just excepted that practically every character in this story is that way.

Well, review, and point out any errors if you notice them!


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